7. Do parish or town councils with a Neighbourhood Plan determine planning applications within their area?
No, East Devon District Council, as local planning authority, will continue to determine planning applications. Neighbourhood Plans will form a new tier of planning at a very local level. They need to conform to the strategic policies of the local plan for East Devon but will form part of the development plan for the area. The community can choose to replace the local plan development management policies with their own local ones and, provided the Neighbourhood Plan is adopted, decisions will then be made in accordance with these. This accords considerable weight to the Neighbourhood Plan.