Have your say on the draft Local Plan for Buckinghamshire

Overview

We want to hear your views on our draft Local Plan for Buckinghamshire to help us shape the final version of the Plan in time for the submission deadline of December 2026. 

The new Local Plan for Buckinghamshire will set out the strategy for meeting Buckinghamshire’s future housing and employment requirements through to the year 2045. It will set out what infrastructure is needed to support growth, whilst also protecting our most valued environments.

This consultation focuses on the approaches to the spatial strategy for meeting the housing and employment requirements along with development management policies on topics such as the natural environment, infrastructure, housing and employment.  

We are continuing to work with residents, businesses and other stakeholders to plan for sustainable high-quality development, supporting infrastructure, and opportunities to protect the environment and address climate change, whilst meeting housing and economic development needs. 

New government policy 

In December 2024 the current government issued an update of the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF). This sets a new deadline of December 2026 to submit a Local Plan for examination under the existing plan-making regime. 

Delivering the high level of development now expected in the county will not be easy and there aren’t any simple answers, but we are determined to bring forward the best options in the face of such challenge to achieve the best possible outcomes for Buckinghamshire. 

Related documents and links 

Before you respond to this activity, please have a look at the following documents and links:

• Draft Local Plan for Buckinghamshire part A - spatial strategies (PDF, 1.2MB)
• Draft Local Plan for Buckinghamshire part B - development management policies (PDF, 3.6MB)
• The supporting evidence for the Local Plan can be found at: www.buckinghamshire.gov.uk/local-plan-evidence
• A virtual exhibition room has been produced which is available to view at: https://buckinghamshire.oc2.uk/exhibition/1

How to have your say  

You are invited to respond to this consultation in one of the following ways: 

• the preferred method is to follow the link below to the Opus Consult platform to complete an online survey
• please note that to respond on the Opus Consult platform you will need to set up a user account.

Alternatively, you can:

• complete and return a printed version of the survey (PDF, 454KB) 
• email us at planningpolicyteam.bc@buckinghamshire.gov.uk 
• write to us at Draft Local Plan Consultation, Planning Policy, Buckinghamshire Council, Walton Street, Aylesbury, HP20 1UA 

If you have any questions about this activity, or require this information in another format or language, please email us at planningpolicyteam.bc@buckinghamshire.gov.uk or phone us on 01296 383698. 

Responses must be received by 11.59pm on 29 October 2025. 

What happens next 

We will use the feedback you provide in this consultation to draw up an updated version of the Local Plan for Buckinghamshire which will be published for final feedback in July 2026. The Local Plan and any amendments will then be submitted to the government’s Planning Inspectorate in December 2026. 

Privacy

We will use the information you provide only for this activity. We will store the information securely in line with data protection laws and will not share or publish any personal details. Survey responses will be analysed using Microsoft products including Copilot, Excel and Word. For more information about data and privacy, please see our privacy policy.

If you have questions about data and privacy, please email us on dataprotection@buckinghamshire.gov.uk or write to our Data Protection Officer at Buckinghamshire Council, The Gateway, Gatehouse Road, Aylesbury, HP19 8FF.