Buckinghamshire Council responds to Government consultation on planning proposals
Buckinghamshire Council has submitted its formal response to the Government’s consultation on proposals to make changes to the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF), amidst significant concerns about the potential and far-reaching implications for the county should the proposals go ahead.
The consultation is a complex exercise with more than 100 questions that seek views on the proposed amendments to the NPPF. This is the framework by which local planning authorities determine planning applications and form local plans. The NPPF includes setting out how local housing need should be met, and specifically how many homes should be built in a certain area.
The council’s response answers all 106 questions of the consultation, which seek opinion on the various areas to the policy where changes are proposed. While the council agrees with some of the proposed amendments, its formal response records some grave and significant objections to the proposed policy changes due to the negative implications it would have for Buckinghamshire.
The main areas the council has raised concerns over in its response are:
- The proposed changes to the way in which local housing need is to be calculated, which would lead to a 42% increase in the figure for Buckinghamshire
- The proposed changes to Green Belt policy, particularly a new definition of ‘grey belt’ land which has the potential to lead to large-scale sporadic developments across a wide area of the Buckinghamshire Green Belt
- The proposed changes to the requirements relating to maintaining a five year supply of housing land which are likely to lead to more speculative planning applications being granted permission, and
- The lack of a strategic approach to funding and providing essential local infrastructure when existing facilities are already overwhelmed
Commenting, Buckinghamshire Council Leader, Martin Tett, said:
“I cannot overstate the implications that these proposals have for Buckinghamshire. It is no exaggeration to say that this could really change our county as we know it, for good.
These proposed changes reintroduce mandatory housing targets and could lead to a total of 100,000 new homes in Buckinghamshire, yet there is no mention of infrastructure and community facilities to support this massive number of new homes and new residents. The new concept of a ‘grey belt’ - a political construct - would force the release of precious green belt land for development to any developer who purchases a pocket of land.
This could pave the way for the most phenomenal change our county has seen. We have responded in a thorough, considered and a technical manner to the consultation. Our response goes through the proposed changes step by step and considers each question one by one. I want to underline that we are not anti-housebuilding in Buckinghamshire; we are very much aware of the need particularly for more affordable homes but this must happen in the right way. I now call on the government to truly consider Buckinghamshire Council’s response when taking these proposals forward.”