The Hackleton Neighbourhood Development Plan was close to five years in the making and was made in 2021. It is now consulted by the Parish Council and West Northants Council when deciding planning applications which affect land in this area. It also sets out ambitions for developments for the benefit of the area which the Parish Council may create projects to address where they become feasible.

The plan encourages an expansion of the recreational facilities in the parish and since the making of the plan the Parish Council has had constructed, and opened, a new outdoor training area in Hackleton that they have been working on for some time. As far as provision for housing is concerned the affordable housing development off Lyne Walk has now been completed and this met the forecast need for affordable housing in the Parish identified during the creation of the plan. Other initiatives on areas of concern like the environment and green spaces are also being addressed by groups lead by Parish Councillors.

Development pressure continues within the Parish and the plan, and the Local Plan are important tools to help resist inappropriate development which is still a risk which needs to be guarded against. It is not the only protection needed as there are a number of orders that West Northants may impose to prevent development, such as that in force in parts of the land south of the B526 between Hackleton and Horton stopping the sub-divided fields having their use changed which would be contrary to the guidelines in the Neighbourhood Plan and the Local Plan.

Neighbourhood plans are designed to last for ten years and this plan is valid till 2029, although a mid-point review by the Parish Council is expected in 2024 to check that circumstances not have changed enough to need any significant changes to the plan. Changes in National Planning Policy may be implemented by the Government of the day and could override parts of the plan, for example rigid housing growth targets could be imposed, or conditions for approval of affordable housing or self-build may change again. By 2029 a new local plan framework for West Northants will be in progress so changes to the Neighbourhood Plan, if they are still part of the planning system, will be needed.