Local campaigners launch 'healthcare before houses' project in Aylesbury

Speaking to the Bucks Herald, Phil Yerby said: "Most of us would support the need for more houses but building “Houses without Healthcare” creates significant problems both now and for the future.

"Developers across the country are building huge new developments — effectively new towns — without providing adequate healthcare facilities.

"The local NHS have objected to the planned developments and yet these have been ignored - particularly in regards to the Hampden Fields development.

"This creates significant pressure on existing services to the extent that the NHS have warned that services may need to be cut.

"We have launched a parliamentary petition to seek to change the law to stop this happening."

Phil has launched a petition titled: "Require agreement with NHS authorities to consent to new developments" that you can sign by clicking here.The petition reads: "Change the NPPF to ensure that Planning Authorities must, before they approve (or recommend approval) on any new development (more than 10 houses or of greater than 10,000sqft other uses) have reached agreement with the relevant NHS authorities that the Healthcare provision provided is sufficient."

The NPPF is the National Planning Policy Framework, which are rules all planners must abide by when creating a development.

Phil continued: "“This is a small but important change in the law that will require adequate healthcare services to be provided with development.

"The public will notice that the Hampden Fields faciities are woefully inadequate and no services whatsoever have been provided on Kingsbrook thus far which has put immense pressure on Poplar Grove and Oakfield surgeries.

"This is unacceptable."

Phil said the NHS locally had objected to the Hampden Fields development and even suggested they might plan legal action.

He said:

"The Hampden Fields development has been waved through by the council despite serious objections from Bucks NHS.

"Although there is currently a legal requirement to consult with the NHS they can then essentially be ignored.

"The council approved plans are so inadequate that the NHS are saying that no facilities will be built on either Hampden Fields or Woodlands.

"Add to that no facilities are currently anywhere near being delivered for Kingsbrook."

Phil concluded that just a small change to the NPPF rules could make things much better locally.

He said:

"If this small but very significant change passes into law then the council will have to reach agreement with the NHS that adequate proviso is being made for healthcare before permission is granted.

"We believe this is a relatively simple change but a great improvement which very profitable large developers can easily afford."

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