Agenda

To approve as a correct record the Minutes of the meeting held on 25 March 2024

Written Question from Councillor Stuart Wilson to Councillor Peter Strachan, Cabinet Member for Planning and Regeneration and Councillor Angela Macpherson, Cabinet Member for Health and Wellbeing

Today, Cabinet is reviewing the Joint Select Committee Review into Planning for Future Primary Healthcare in Buckinghamshire. An example of the past and present failings of the planning and primary care estates planning system are clearly illustrated in the Bourne End and Wooburn case study in the Appendix to the report.

The Infrastructure Delivery Plan of the Wycombe Local Plan made it clear that the delivery of up to 800 new dwellings (now closer to 1100 dwellings with windfall infill and office conversions) created additional demand on transport, primary education and primary healthcare which requires new infrastructure and/or appropriate mitigation. Policy BE2 (Hollands Farm) included clauses relating to a new link road through the site and the provision of a single form entry primary school on the site. Policy BE3 (new medical facilities) committed the local planning authority to work with the Clinical Commission Group (now Integrated Care Board) to deliver new medical facilities on BE1 (Slate Meadow), BE2 or existing employment sites. Please note that local primary schools and local elected Members do not consider a new single form entry primary school to be necessary given local capacity and falling birth rates. Education Services have contrived to include out-of-area schools to support their claims. This is potentially worth approximately £2.3m in s106 contributions and the provision of land that could be better used towards new primary care facilities.

The development subject of Policy BE1 received full planning consent in 2023 without any reference to medical facilities in land or financial commitments. The development subject of Policy BE2 is at outline planning stage and has received a very limited and wholly undeliverable consultation response from the ICB on only one out of the three outline planning applications. The supplementary planning document for BE2 provides for both financial contributions to an appropriate healthcare facility for the area and/or the provision of land for a new healthcare centre with modern facilities to attract General Practitioners. The opportunity for a meaningful delivery of Policy BE3 linked to development at Hollands Farm is at serious risk of being missed by both Buckinghamshire Council and the ICB. In line with one of the Joint Review report recommendations, Wooburn & Bourne End Parish Council is more than willing to consider CIL support to deliver new medical facilities in line with the Infrastructure Delivery Plan requirements but cannot do so on its own.

What action will the Cabinet Members for Planning & Regeneration and Health & Wellbeing take with the ICB and the GP Practice to ensure that Bourne End & Wooburn will receive the new primary care facilities it requires as legislated in the Infrastructure Delivery Plan of the adopted Wycombe Local Plan, including the commitment of additional CIL support for healthcare facilities (5% of CIL was previously allocated to healthcare by the former Wycombe District Council), s106 payments,  or the deployment of land  ...  view the full agenda text for item 5.

To resolve that under Section 100(A)(4) of the Local Government Act 1972 the public be excluded from the meeting for the following item(s) of business on the grounds that it involves the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in Part I of Schedule 12A of the Act.

18 June 2024 at 10am