ABSTRACT
This chapter introduces the idea of community capacity as an analytical tool and uses it to reflect on a case study of one of the vanguard Neighbourhood Planning processes and the plan it produced. In this context, 'Neighbourhood Planning' can be seen as the latest attempt within England to include local stakeholders in mainstream planning processes, whereby local stakeholders become the producers of the plan they want. The planning aspect of this new Localism agenda included a suite of new planning mechanisms through which local communities could gain statutory control of the planning and development of their local area. The chapter also explains 'skills and resources', 'nature of social relationships', 'structures and mechanisms for community dialogue', 'leadership', 'civic participation', 'value system' and 'learning culture'. The government's Neighbourhood Planning Initiative, arguably positive in terms of delegated power and intended to be light touch in design, has been impeded by the rapidly expanding processes that are required to achieve statutory status.
