The Local Plan for Buckinghamshire: Help us plan for the future

Closed 11 Feb 2022

Opened 29 Nov 2021

Contact

Planning Policy Team

01296 383698

planningpolicyteam.bc@buckinghamshire.gov.uk

Feedback updated 27 Jan 2023

We asked

We asked, you said, we did update originally published on 4 August 2022. Updated on 27 January 2023 with new link for more information about the survey responses.

As part of the discovery and exploration phase for the new Local Plan for Buckinghamshire, we asked for views on:

  • what is important to residents and workers in Buckinghamshire
  • what problems and issues they currently face
  • what future needs they have

The Local Plan for Buckinghamshire will set out where new development will be located and what we will need to protect.

We asked for views from 29 November 2021 to 11 February 2022.

You said

We received 3,439 responses to the survey:

  • 3,407 from the online survey
  • 32 from letters and emails

For the following questions, respondents were given options and asked to select their top three, in order of preference. The three most frequent options are outlined below:

What do you value the most in your area?

  • Countryside / wildlife (67% of respondents included this in their top three)
  • Good local facilities (48%)
  • Quality of life (40%)

What is the best location for new homes?

  • Brownfield (86%)
  • Within existing towns (64%)
  • Close to a main town (51%)

What are your views on supporting the local economy?

  • Accessible employment sites (89%)
  • Protecting existing employment sites (83%)
  • Land / sites for new infrastructure (41%)

What do you think should be the priorities in relation to mitigating climate change?

  • Energy efficiency measures in new buildings (52%)
  • More green spaces and tree planting (49%)
  • Protecting from flood risk (46%)

What sort of new infrastructure we will need to plan for?

  • Healthcare facilities (73%)
  • Schools - primary and secondary (42%)
  • Cycle lanes (33%)

What improvement to the natural environment would you like to see in your area?

Respondents could select as many options as they liked, the top three were:

  • Tree planting (75% of respondents selected this option)
  • Linking pathways and natural environments (63%)
  • More green space (59%)

What priorities should Buckinghamshire Council be focused on?

We asked respondents what they felt the council’s top three priorities should be across all issues covered in this Local Plan survey.

The top themes for priorities were:

  • Environmental policies and practice / climate change (840 respondents suggestions mentioned this theme)
  • Protect the greenbelt / AONB /countryside (781)
  • Sustainable travel - public transport, cycling and walking (765)
  • Transport infrastructure and road improvement (643)
  • Green space / natural environment (616)
  • Brownfield site development (543)
  • Infrastructure and services for new development (488)
  • Affordable and key worker housing (453)
  • Sustainable, environmentally friendly housing and development (383)
  • Health and social care (316)
  • Protect the environment (235)
  • improve existing infrastructure and services (212)

For more information about the survey responses, please see the The Local Plan for Buckinghamshire website.

We did

We will use the results from the survey to help inform the vision and objectives for the Local Plan for Buckinghamshire, which in turn will help shape the Local Plan policies. 

The preparation of the Local Plan is currently focusing on evidence collection to understand the current needs for Buckinghamshire. 

This includes housing and employment provision, infrastructure and environmental enhancement opportunities.

Keep up to date

For news and updates about work on the Local Plan, please visit the Local Plan for Buckinghamshire webpage.

If you want to keep in touch with Planning Policy, including the Local Plan for Buckinghamshire, please register on our online consultation database.

Overview

Local Plan for Buckinghamshire: Shaping the future together

Welcome to Buckinghamshire Council’s Discovery and Exploration Phase of the Local Plan for Buckinghamshire.

The council is preparing a new Local Plan for Buckinghamshire.

A Local Plan sets out where new development will be located and what we will need to protect within Buckinghamshire. It will shape the future of Buckinghamshire.

We want to involve you in the first stage of producing a new Local Plan for Buckinghamshire.

Find out more about the Local Plan on the Local Plan website.

We want to hear from you

Many people living and working in Buckinghamshire face real challenges, for example:

  • finding new homes and jobs close by
  • finding affordable homes
  • key workers being able to live and work locally 
  • long journeys to work
  • protecting what’s best about our local areas and communities
  • where people’s children, grandchildren or elderly relatives might live

And as a county there are wider issues we must consider:

  • quality of life and climate change
  • the need to make the best use of land which has already been built on - brown before green to help protect the wildlife and countryside of Buckinghamshire
  • maintaining the County’s strong economy with major national employers
  • the challenges from the COVID 19 pandemic

Information about Local Plans

More Information

A Local Plan is a detailed document and map which sets out the future development of an area. It is drawn up by the Council in consultation with the community following a process which is set out following national guidelines. 

Once in place, the local plan is used to guide decisions on whether or not planning applications should be given planning permission. It also shows where and how much future development can take place and how an area will meet its future housing needs.

More Information

All local planning authorities have to have a Local Plan for their area. Buckinghamshire Council is a local planning authority so the new local plan will cover the whole council area.

A Local Plan aims to deliver sustainable development through:

  • meeting the area’s social, economic, and environmental needs
  • delivering better quality places
  • more comprehensive delivery of all kinds of infrastructure
  • protecting the county’s natural and built heritage

It will bring benefits for people who live, work, or visit Buckinghamshire, through:

  • making sure there are enough of the right homes and workplaces
  • getting the infrastructure in the right place at the right time
  • providing new green areas and places for nature alongside new homes

It also helps the Council to

  • make prompt planning decisions
  • have fewer planning appeals and so lower costs

More Information

The Government is currently making changes to the way Local Plans will work. They take several years to prepare.

We want to start work early – by finding out what matters most to people living in Buckinghamshire so that we can listen and learn before we start working on the local plan.

How to have your say

Please tell us your views in one of the following ways:

Please tell us your views by midnight on 11 February 2022.

Brown before Green

Our aim will be to make the very best use of sites which have already been built on (brownfield sites). More information is available on the Local Plan website.

You can help us by suggesting sites that have previously been built on (brownfield sites) which might be suitable for redevelopment / regeneration. This will help protect our countryside. 

Keep in touch

If you want to keep in touch with Planning Policy, including the Local Plan for Buckinghamshire, please register on our online consultation database.

If you want to keep in touch it is important for you to opt in and register on the link.

What happens next

We will read and consider all comments. We will share the comments with all the Councillors in Buckinghamshire Council.

We will use your views and comments to help us understand important issues facing you and we will need to consider how to address them as we start to prepare the Local Plan for Buckinghamshire. 

Privacy

We will use the information you provide here 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. 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.

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