To what extent are psychogeographical walking practices promoted in Neighbourhood Plan Making in England and how might the perceptions of those engaged in such practice assist in influencing Neighbourhood Plan outcomes?

Neighbourhood Planning in England aims to empower local communities by giving them greater local control over the planning system in the local plan making process in their area. Psychogeography loosely describes the effect of a geographical location on the emotion and behaviour of individuals. This research has two aspects, firstly it explores whether Neighbourhood Plan making in England promotes psychogeographical walking practices. Relevant published adopted Neighbourhood Plan documents were assessed, and data collected from these documents. The data shows that 9.4% of the documents, mentioned walking as a method used in plan-making. The data shows in a handful of cases the walks had the purpose of informing definitions of character of place and identifying issues for consideration in the Plan. The walks’ influence in shaping the outcomes in the Neighbourhood Plan along with the extent to which the walks were psychogeographical in nature is unclear. Secondly the research assesses whether the perceptions of participants engaged in psychogeographical walking practices may assist in influencing Neighbourhood Planning outcomes. To investigate how it may assist in this context, a psychogeographical walk with participants preparing a Neighbourhood Plan in Chadderton, Oldham, England was undertaken. The participants’ feedback from the walks comprises the data and it reveals elements that could inform narratives for defining ‘place’ in Neighbourhood plan making. The research opens a discussion on the value and role of a psychogeographical walk in Neighbourhood-Plan making and how it can assist in identifying issues and addressing needs in the Neighbourhood Plan