Network support
ACRE provides network support for approximately 80 RCAN practitioners who facilitate CLP. This includes the administration of an online discussion forum, contributions to regional meetings and the provision of a national conference held in June each year which includes training and workshops about CLP.
The support provided by ACRE encourages innovation and the sharing of best practice between RCAN practitioners and results in better quality, more consistent support for groups undertaking Community Led Plans across England.
Community Led Planning Toolkit 
ACRE provides RCAN members with a toolkit they can use to guide communities through the process of producing a Community Led Plan. The toolkit outlines ‘9 steps’ which communities take to produce plans that are well researched, inclusive and achieve the actions they propose.
ACRE is currently undertaking a comprehensive review of the toolkit to bring it up to date with current policy and incorporate best practice from around the country. All 37 RCAN members are being encouraged to comment on the existing guidance to make suggestions for its improvement.
Communities can access the latest toolkit advice sheets and resources from RCAN members.
Making the most of Community Led Planning: a guide for local authorities
ACRE is working with Action for Market Towns (AMT) on a joint project which will increase an awareness of the practical ways that local authorities can make the most of CLP. The project is evidencing existing resources and examples of best practice from across England and will result in the production of guidance to be published online in the summer of 2011.
The project is part sponsored by Communities and Local Government’s (CLG) Empowerment Fund and has attracted support from a number of government departments and national organisations including Defra, the Local Government Association (LGA), Local Government Improvement and Development (LGID), the National Association of Local Councils (NALC) and the Community Development Foundation (CDF).
12 local authorities and 12 RCAN members are directly participating in the project. Their collective knowledge and experience is being used to identify a range of actions that local authorities can take in conjunction with local facilitators to make sure that communities produce high quality plans with actions that are achievable and useful for strategic purposes.
A short video explaining the project in more detail is available here.
Neigbourhood planning policy development
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ACRE is keeping abreast of this emerging agenda because of its relevance to the work of the RCAN. In particular we are keen to ensure that the experience of Community Led Planning informs the government’s thinking about how Neighbourhood Plans might work in practice, and how they will make the most of existing activity.
ACRE has produced several briefings that relate to the development of neighbourhood planning policy. More information is available here.
