increase in the number of new homes central government says must be built here.

The council has launched a consultation today (Wednesday 17 September) on its draft Local Plan for Buckinghamshire. This is somethingthat all councils are expected to have in place; the Local Plan sets out the strategy for meeting Buckinghamshire’s future housing and employment requirement through to the year 2045. Following consultation feedback and the completion of a technical evidence base, the final Plan, due next year, will outline what infrastructure is needed to support growth, whilst also protecting the county’s most valued environments. Not having a Local Plan leaves Buckinghamshire vulnerable to speculative and unplanned developments.

The draft of the Local Plan for Buckinghamshire that residents are being asked to comment on will have to accommodate a huge increased level of housing to meet a new national target set by central government of 95,000 new homes and represents a 43% increase on what the council had previously been required to plan for. The council has therefore prepared a plan that reflects these higher growth numbers and is asking for views to help shape the final version in time for the submission deadline of December 2026 to central government.

Peter Strachan is Buckinghamshire Council’s Cabinet Member for Planning.

He said:

“Before the new government came to power, we were already moving forward proposals to meet the needs of the county that showed where new homes could be accommodated and the right places for these developments in Buckinghamshire.

The new target of 95,000 houses increases our requirement by 43%, and with possible new towns also on the horizon, the population in Buckinghamshire could increase by almost 50% by 2045.

Having an up-to-date plan gives us some control over where new development should happen in Bucks; if we don’t do this within the statutory deadlines set by central government then we, and by that I mean all of us, will have even less say over how and where these new homes are built.

Also, if this many new homes are to be built here they need to come with the necessary infrastructure. We can’t have tens of thousands of new homes without the new roads, community facilities, schools, health services and other infrastructure needed for all these new residents.

I invite all residents, businesses and local groups and our partners to take a look at our draft Local Plan proposals and feedback their views.”

Notes to Editor

• You can view the draft Local Plan and give your views here https://www.buckinghamshire.gov.uk/draft-local-plan

The Local Plan 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