At the meeting of the Buckingham Town Council Planning Committee held on Monday 17th October 2022, Members considered their response to the consultation currently being conducted by Buckinghamshire Council for this section of the draft Local Plan for Buckinghamshire.
The consultation document confirms that the Local Plan will require a minimum of 25% of housing developments of 11 or more dwellings to be affordable housing (80% of these for rent and 20% shared ownership). However, where a Neighbourhood Plan has a larger percentage, the Neighbourhood Plan will be honoured.
This is excellent news for Buckingham, as Buckingham’s Neighbourhood Plan states that 35% affordable housing is required for developments within the plan boundary, and Members were reassured to find that this will continue to be the case.
Councillor Mark Cole JP, chairman of the Planning Committee said “our neighbourhood plan foresaw the need to provide more affordable housing; there are far too many local people on the housing waiting list in North Bucks. Buckinghamshire Council itself acknowledges on its Home Choice website that ‘applicants can expect to wait several years for accommodation, especially larger families.’ “We have fiercely defended our 35% affordable percentage since the BNP was made, having constantly questioned why the VALP figure is so much lower, so it is gratifying that the draft countywide Local Plan will set in stone our 35%.”
