Prestwood Community Association has submitted its comments on the draft Local Plan for Buckinghamshire. You can read it here:
The next stage in the process will be for the Council to review and consider all feedback, undertake further evidence gathering, and then move forward to a full version of the Local Plan. A draft publication version of the Local Plan will be published for public consultation. This should be in summer 2026.
Ultimately this must be submitted to the Planning Inspectorate in time for it to be approved by the end of 2026.
Calls for Sites
Alongside the development of a strategy for development and policies to achieve them, Buckinghamshire has also made four ‘calls for sites’ to help identify the availability of land for development. This started in 2021 with two calls for brownfield sites, then a ‘wider call for sites’ in 2022. After the hike in requirements for local housing need, a fourth call for sites was conducted earlier this year.
You can view an interactive map of all submitted sites. here. Use of a Chrome browser is recommended.
Subject to a heavy caveat, here are the submitted sites displayed within Prestwood (blue outlines: from calls for brownfield sites; red outlines from wider call for sites). Since the title is ‘Call for Sites 2021-2023’, we can’t be certain how up to date these are, and of course remember that these are yet to be examined for their suitability.
PCA’s activity on Planning issues
PCA has made two significant contributions on planning issues. One was a submission on the planning application on Greenlands Lane. This application highlighted the potential opening up to development of Green Belt land from the changes to the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) last December. The application has been rejected by Buckinghamshire Council, but this site has already been the subject of two appeals and a third would be no surprise.
The second was PCA’s response to the consultation on the draft Local Plan. Here we concentrated largely on issues relating to Prestwood and similar rural communities, in particular housing, infrastructure, transport and environmental protection.
Past consultations, including by PCA’s predecessor Great Missenden and Prestwood Revitalisation Group (GMPRG), have confirmed that the Green Belt, the AONB (now National Landscape) and the rural/village character are characteristics extremely highly prized by Prestwood’s residents. But availability of housing, infrastructure and facilities, and transport links are also key components to getting the balance right, to having a thriving and vibrant community.
Where does the balance lie? Early in 2026, PCA will launch a survey of residents to gauge the community’s views, and this will help us represent those views accurately in future planning issues.
Could YOU help PCA on Planning issues?
Are you a Prestwood resident with an informed interest on planning issues or procedure? Perhaps, but not 100% necessarily, with some professional experience in the field?
And/or would you like to help with the very important survey?
Please drop us a line on info@prestwoodcommunity.uk