Bucks Council accuses Government of launching 'war against countryside' during 91,000 home announcement
A plan setting out how Buckinghamshire could accommodate around 91,000 new homes, with no new housing sites allocated in the Green Belt, has gone out for final consultation.
Buckinghamshire Council is inviting residents to have their say on its draft Local Plan, which will guide development across the county up to 2045.
The plan outlines how Buckinghamshire could accommodate the homes required under national planning policy.
The authority’s cabinet unanimously agreed to publish the draft plan for the six-week Regulation 19 consultation at a meeting on Wednesday, July 22.
The council said it did not set the housing requirement but was legally responsible for planning how it would be delivered.
Cllr Thomas Broom, cabinet member for transport, criticised the housing figure imposed on the county.
He said: “We find ourselves in the unfortunate position of standing on the latest front of the Government’s war against the countryside. Ninety thousand homes is a truly ridiculous number to impose on a county like Buckinghamshire. It represents more than a 40 per cent increase in the population of our county and it is fundamentally not based on need.”
The plan adopts a “brownfield-first” approach, with around 13,500 homes expected to come from redevelopment opportunities in town centres, previously developed land and areas close to well-connected railway stations.
Cllr Peter Strachan, cabinet member for planning, said having an up-to-date Local Plan was “essential” because without one, the council would have significantly less control over where development took place and how growth was managed.
He said: “It prioritises a brownfield-first approach, seeks to optimise densities in sustainable and well-connected locations, proposes two new settlements and eight large strategic extensions to our most sustainable towns and settlements.
“It allows for limited development in smaller villages where appropriate and, importantly, does not allocate any new housing or employment sites within the Green Belt.”
More than 500 infrastructure projects requiring at least £6 billion of investment have been identified.
These cover transport, schools, healthcare, utilities, community facilities and green infrastructure.
The council said it would continue pressing the Government to ensure the national housing requirement was matched by investment in local infrastructure.
Council leader Cllr Steven Broadbent has also written to local MPs calling for government support to secure the infrastructure funding required.
He said: “This draft Local Plan is our best opportunity to retain local control and shape Buckinghamshire’s future.
“We have listened to what residents have consistently told us are their top priorities. It provides a clear strategy for accommodating growth while protecting the Green Belt, supporting the economy and ensuring homes, jobs and infrastructure are planned together.
“The plan identifies the infrastructure needed to support growth and we will continue to press government and work with local MPs to secure the investment required.”
The six-week Regulation 19 consultation is the final opportunity to comment on the draft Local Plan before it is submitted for independent examination.
Responses will be presented to the planning inspector and should focus on whether the plan is legally compliant and “sound”.
This means considering whether it is evidence-based, deliverable and consistent with national planning policy.
The consultation opened on Thursday, July 23, and closes at 11.59pm on Sunday, September 6.