This session will explore the contested politics of Neighbourhood Development Plans (NDPs), one of a raft of measures introduced under the Localism Act (2011) in England. With over 800 Neighbourhood Development Plans underway, and several already approved by popular referenda, the initiative is promoted as devolving power to communities and enabling popular engagement in local decisions, thereby bridging the divide between participatory and representative democracy, harmonising the competing priorities of the strategic and very local, and improving relationships between local authorities and local people.