The Local Plan for Buckinghamshire (part 1 of 5)

Thank you to Cabinet Members and the officers for putting this together, given the compressed timetable. I completely agree that we should get this going as soon as possible to prevent the National Government from intervening for the sake of our county and residents. To that mind, I've got three link questions, and I'll bring them through really quickly. Just on the back of what Councillor Thratbury said, really, my question now is really about the gap between now and adoption in 2028. So that's my first question. During that period, the area planning committees must keep determining applications against this emerging plan, which I understand at Reg 19, before examination and objections are even resolved, might, or I don't know, carries limited weight. So, especially when the Council has no five -year housing supply, sort of tilted balance, I understand, already runs in favour of development. That leaves planning committees, officers and residents, potentially, or not residents, but officers and committees, refusing schemes that actually accord with our emerging allocations, which is premature and vulnerable on appeal with cost, or alternatively, which I'm very concerned about, being driven to grant unallocated greenfields and greybelt sites by default. So, can officers, you know, inform the committee what single, if applicable, written interim decisions, protocol members will be given, or officers will be given, which covers our current land supply position, how much weight to give to the emerging allocations, and greybelt mapping, and at which milestones might these increase in weight? That's the first question. Then the second question, really, is really towards the soundness, the legalness of it. At Reg 18, the Council planned for, I think Steve mentioned, a 5 % buffer. At Reg 19, we now have got only a margin of 35 homes. Now, I understand what Steve's mentioned earlier, but with headroom debt thin, the moment an inspector finds any single allocation undeliverable, my fear is that the plan might fall on its own requirement. How is that being positively prepared by the authority? And my last question, really, is consistency with the national policy is judged at adoption in 2028, not today. Now, we all know a draft MPPF was published in December 2025. Now, what is the plan's exposure if, in between, the national Labour government decide that, well, we're going to change the MPPF again? You know, how is that compressed time table being managed so that the speed itself does not become a legal, compliant risk down the line? Thank you, Chairman. Thank you. Thank you for the question. So, on the first point around weight. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.