Decision details

This report rehearsed the more significant changes which the government proposed to make to the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) and, in Appendix 1 of the report, set out a comprehensive suggested response to them and the other revisions included in the consultation which would close on 24 September 2024. Town, Parish Councils, Community Groups and residents were encouraged to send in their responses to Government whether in writing or online. They would not need to follow the suggested response format and would just need to make their views known.

In summary, the government proposed to reverse the changes contained within the previous version of the NPPF published in December 2023 and to introduce new measures intended to boost the supply of housing and allow a more permissive approach towards new development in the Green Belt.

However, the areas of greatest concern which were highlighted more fully by the Cabinet Member were:

• The proposed changes to the way in which local housing need was to be calculated, which would lead to a 42% increase in the figure for Buckinghamshire;

• The proposed changes to Green Belt policy, particularly a new definition of ‘grey belt’ land which had the potential to lead to large-scale sporadic developments across a wide area of the Buckinghamshire Green Belt;

• The proposed changes to the requirements relating to maintaining a five year supply of housing land which were likely to lead to more speculative planning applications being granted permission; and

• The lack of a strategic approach to funding and providing essential local infrastructure when existing facilities were already overwhelmed.

The Leader asked that the following points be recorded as this was the biggest change in national planning policy since the war and would completely transform Buckinghamshire with possible urban sprawl. As a Council it was recognised that, with the growing population of this County through social change and immigration, there was clearly a need for more housing. There was no lack of willingness to build houses. However, they should be plan-led and built in the right areas and supported by the right infrastructure with brownfield areas first. Previously housing need figures could have been negotiated due to Green Belt areas, Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty, flood plains, high grade agricultural land and other constraints but it would be more difficult to argue this in future. The total uplift in housing numbers was 42% plus a 5% uplift for deliverability including an additional proposal for a Taskforce to look at locations for new towns, which had to be a minimum of 10,000 houses. This equated to 100,000 possible houses as a minimum. The protections on the Green Belt would also be taken away and the concept of Grey Belt introduced. Previously there was a five year land supply requirement which was going to be reduced to four years under the previous Government. This would now mean that nowhere in Buckinghamshire would meet that five year land supply requirement and could mean that developers use this to their advantage to build anywhere.

The Leader reported that there were some elements of the response that he did not agree with and he asked that he and the Cabinet Member for Planning and Regeneration be delegated authority to make amendments to the sections on  density, the deletion of First homes, market housing, the deletion of the reference to beauty and reference to the deletion of agricultural land which applied particularly to the north of the County, the concept of which had been strongly supported by the local MP, Greg Smith. There were also other minor comments e.g. on the infrastructure section. There was also the proposal of strategic planning where Buckinghamshire could be combined with other Councils such as Milton Keynes which could potentially vote to move housing numbers, solar and wind farms into Buckinghamshire from their own areas based on strategic need.  

RESOLVED

1) That the response to the consultation on the draft National Planning Policy Framework set out at Appendix 1 of the report be approved.

2) That authority be delegated to the Corporate Director for Planning, Growth and Sustainability, in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Planning and Regeneration and the Leader, to approve any necessary amendments to the Council’s response and to submit the final response before the consultation deadline.