Challenge to Wycombe District Local Plan rejected at the High Court

A challenge to the Wycombe District Local Plan was rejected at the High Court on Thursday 23rd July 2020.

The legal challenge to the Wycombe District Local Plan (the Plan) was made by local residents group, Keep Bourne End Green.

The challenge focused on whether there had been an error in law relating to the use of household projections that informed the overall housing target of the Plan, in the application of Government policy in justifying the removal of the Hollands Farm site at Bourne End from the Green Belt and whether the Council had complied with habitat regulations.

In a 49 page ruling, the Honourable Mr Justice Holgate, rejected all the grounds considered by the Court. The High Court ruling can be viewed on the Wycombe Area website of Buckinghamshire Council.

The former Wycombe District Council adopted the Local Plan in August 2019 and it remains in force as part of the planning framework for the new Buckinghamshire Council.

The Plan sets a target for just under 11,000 homes to be built in the former Wycombe District area over a 20 year period. The Hollands Farm site at Bourne End is allocated for about 467 homes in the Local Plan.

Councillor Warren Whyte, Cabinet Member for Planning and Enforcement at Buckinghamshire Council said: ‘I am absolutely delighted with this ruling.

Whilst I recognise that the Local Plan involved making some difficult decisions about the scale of new development and where that new development should take place, I believe that this was done in a fair and reasonable way and in a way that fully involved local people.

I am pleased that the judge has upheld the Council’s position.‘

*Source of article : Press release from Buckinghamshire Council.