Soho Neighbourhood Plan
In accordance with Regulation 20 of the Neighbourhood Planning (General) Regulations 2012, Westminster City Council formally ‘made’ (adopted) the Soho Neighbourhood Plan on 8 October 2021. It is therefore now part of the statutory Development Plan for Westminster and will be used alongside the council’s own planning documents and the Mayor’s London Plan in determining applications in the Soho Neighbourhood Area.
The Plan includes policies on a range of matters including culture and heritage, commercial activity, entertainment, and the night-time economy. A copy of the ‘made’ plan can be viewed below, and hard copies are available for inspection at council offices at 64 Victoria Street, SW1E 6QP, during normal office hours.
Prior to adoption, the plan was subject to public consultation, independent examination, and local referendum. Further details of these stages can be found below.
Referendum
To meet the requirements of the Localism Act 2011, a referendum was held on 2 September 2021 at St Anne's Church Hall, 55 Dean Street, London W1D 6AF.
The referendum question was: “Do you want Westminster City Council to use the Neighbourhood Plan for Soho to help it decide planning applications in the neighbourhood area?”.
For the residential referendum, 90.8% voted in favour of the plan, and there was a turnout of 16.08%.
For the business referendum, 88.89% voted in favour of the plan, and there was a turnout of 38.79%
View further information on the referendum.
The referendum version of the plan, which incorporates all of the examiner’s modifications as agreed through the council’s Decision Statement on Wednesday 5 May 2021, can be viewed below:
Decision Statement
On Wednesday 5 May 2021 the council decided to accept all of the examiner’s recommended modifications to the draft plan and proceed to a referendum of residents and businesses. A copy of the decision statement can be viewed below:
Soho Neighbourhood Plan - decision statement
Examination
The council appointed Ms Jill Kingaby BSc (Econ) MSc MRTPI as independent examiner for the Soho Neighbourhood Plan.
The examiner considered the draft plan and all submission documents, as well as all representations received, and concluded that, subject to the modifications set out in the final Examiner Report, the plan meets the required statutory tests (‘Basic Conditions’) and could therefore proceed to referendum stage. The receipt of the Examiner Report on 19 April 2021 formally concluded the examination of the Soho Neighbourhood Plan.
Examination documents:
Soho Neighbourhood Forum
Find out more about the forum by visiting their website.