Buckinghamshire Council withdraws the Chiltern and South Bucks Local Plan

On Wednesday 21st October 2020 Buckinghamshire Council resolved to withdraw the Chiltern and South Bucks Local Plan (CSB Plan).

The decision to withdraw the plan means that the independent examination of the plan, which has been on hold because of Covid-19 and pending this decision, will close.

The plan and its supporting documents will also now be removed from the Buckinghamshire Council website and all locations where they have been available for public inspection.

Buckinghamshire Council inherited the draft Chiltern and South Bucks Local Plan (CSB Plan) on Wednesday 1st April 2020 and took the opportunity over the summer to review the plan in the light of comments made by the Planning Inspectors in May 2020, the unprecedented impact of Covid-19 and the new Government White Paper Planning for the Future which envisages a new plan-making system for England.

Councillor Warren Whyte, Cabinet Member for Planning and Enforcement at Buckinghamshire Council, said: ‘In May 2020 the Planning Inspectors who were examining the draft CSB Plan pointed out that there was a strong likelihood that the only option will be for the Council to withdraw the Plan.

This was because, in their view, Chiltern and South Bucks District Councils had not cooperated with Slough Borough Council to identify sites in the plan for meeting some of Slough’s housing needs which would otherwise not be met.

Whilst we did not agree with the findings of the Inspectors, we do believe the time is right to refocus our efforts and resources on completing a new Local Plan for the whole of Buckinghamshire.

The impact of Covid-19 has also been considerable and has brought significant changes to how and where we work, future shopping needs and our town centres. All this will need careful consideration and our strategy for addressing these issues should now be incorporated into the new Buckinghamshire Local Plan.‘

The Government’s recent changes in planning law and the Planning White Paper proposing a brand new way to create local plans reinforces the benefits of a new Buckinghamshire Local Plan.

The Council is currently reviewing the proposed changes set out in the White Paper: Planning for the Future. This consultation document proposes significant changes to the current planning system in England covering plan-making, development management and development contributions. The Council will be responding to the White Paper before the close of the consultation on Wednesday 29th October 2020.

Work has started on the new Buckinghamshire Local Plan which will set out Buckinghamshire Council’s planning framework for years ahead. It will respond to the Government’s planning reforms, identifying areas for growth, renewal and protection across Buckinghamshire.

*Source of article : Press release from Buckinghamshire Council.