Buckinghamshire is facing the biggest planning challenge in its history — and it’s not of our own making.

The Government has imposed a target of 95,000 new homes on our county, a figure that is 43% higher than the previous, needs-based, methodology. This new number is one we’ve been told to deliver and whilst Buckinghamshire’s target saw this huge increase, other areas had their housing target reduced. Not based on evidence or need but simply a choice made by ministers in Whitehall.

Worse still the Government has not committed a single penny of infrastructure funding to cover the multi-billion-pound bill that inevitably follows development on this scale. Roads, schools, GP surgeries, sewerage and energy systems — all essential, all expensive, and all currently without the guaranteed investment required to make them work. Developer funding will cover some of the costs but nowhere near the full amount.

Doing nothing is not an option as not having a Local Plan would leave Buckinghamshire wide open to speculative development by developers. An up-to-date Local Plan is not only a legal requirement, but it is the only protection we have, and that is why we are pushing ahead at pace.

We’ve already carried out the largest technical assessment of sites that Buckinghamshire has ever seen. Thousands of sites were proposed to the council and now roughly 400 are being assessed for further availability, suitability and viability testing. No decisions will be made until this full, evidence-based assessment is complete. We want good homes for the future but not over-development through imposition.

And we will not compromise on our principles. We remain firmly committed to protecting our Green Belt and National Landscapes (AONB), to prioritising brownfield before greenfield, and ensuring that existing infrastructure is used as much as possible, particularly in our town centres.

The Council will publish the draft Local Plan this summer for further public consultation. You can provide input in this part of the plan-making process via the council’s site survey: https://www.buckinghamshire.gov.uk/sites-survey

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