Agenda item

The Planning Policy Lead Officer introduced a report that sought agreement of the Council’s formal response to the publication version of the Chiltern and South Bucks Local Plan 2036.  The Committee was asked to agree the draft comments in section 5 of the report and delegate authority to the Planning Policy Lead Officer to finalise and submit the response.

Members noted the key proposals in the plan which had a requirement for 15,260 now homes over the next twenty years and included plans for 5,200 homes in the Green Belt, 40% target for affordable homes and 85 Gypsy and traveller pitches.  Slough had objected in the two previous public consultations as they had failed to consider the proposal for an urban expansion of Slough in the form of a new garden suburb.

The production of the plan was welcomed as it would enable much needed new housing to come forward.  However, the Committee considered the ways in which the Council believed the Test of Soundness had not been met in the plan as detailed from paragraph 5.23 of the report.  The response to the current consultation included objections to the fact that the plan was not proposing to meet local housing needs in full, proposed to export housing to Aylesbury and had not considered meeting any of Slough’s unmet needs.  The overall result was that was that only around half of the houses needed would be provided in the Chiltern and South Bucks area.  It was noted that Chiltern and South Bucks were participating in a joint Wider Growth Study with Slough and Windsor to seek to resolve the outstanding issues.  It was therefore not considered that they had failed in the Duty to Cooperate.

The Committee considered that the plan had not met all of the requirements of the NPPF on the grounds that it had not been “positively prepared”, was not “justified” or “effective” for the reasons detailed in the report.  It was therefore agreed that an objection should be raised and it be requested that there be an immediate partial review of the Local Plan to bring forward proposals for the northern expansion of Slough.  It was also agreed that a Memorandum of Understanding with Chiltern and South Bucks Councils be sought to address the unresolved matters.

Resolved –

(a)  That the objections to the South Bucks and Chiltern Local Plan on the grounds that it fails the tests of soundness for the reasons set out in this report be agreed.

(b)  That delegated powers be given to the Planning Policy Lead Officer to make amendments to the Council’s objections prior to their formal submission.

(c)  That the Local Plan Inspector be requested to agree that there should be an immediate partial review of the Chiltern and South Bucks Local Plan in order to bring forward the Northern Expansion of Slough.

(d)  That a Memorandum of Understanding be sought with South Bucks and Chiltern Councils.