A key stage has been reached in the joint Local Plan which will shape future development in the districts up until 2036.

The important ‘issues and options’ document is ready for public consultation next month pending endorsement from Councillors at Chiltern and South Bucks District Councils.

The document includes twelve potential options for distributing new development across the two District Councils. It is the first public consultation stage in the joint local plan’s preparation.

It is a statutory requirement for all local authorities to prepare a local plan which must set out planning policies in the authority area and will be important when deciding planning applications.

​The Councils decided to prepare a joint local plan in November 2015  following a decision taken at full meetings of both Councils.

The decision was taken partly in response to national objectives to speed up local plan making and the risk of Government intervention for those authorities that fail to meet Government plan-making expectations.

The issues and options consultation document will go before the Cabinets at South Bucks District Council on Thursday 17th December 2015 and Chiltern District Council on Tuesday 22nd December 2015.

If approved, the document will be subject to an eight-week consultation starting mid-January 2016 in which members of the public will be able to review the options and supporting evidence on the councils’ websites www.chiltern.gov.uk and www.southbucks.gov.uk  and send in their responses.

There will be two further consultation periods prior to the joint local plan being considered at a public examination in 2017.