NPPF Consultation Feedback

The Residents Society have provided feedback to the Government on their proposed changes to the National Planning Policy Framework; this is the text from their response.

Planning Policy Consultation Team
Planning Directorate – Planning Policy Division
Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
Floor 3, Fry Building
2 Marsham Street
London SW1P 4DF

Dear Sir/Madam,

RESPONSE TO OPEN CONSULTATION ON PROPOSED REFORMS TO THE NATIONAL PLANNING POLICY FRAMEWORK

We write as a politically neutral Residents Society to comment on the practicalities of the NPPF proposals on behalf of our community, as a group of residents very aware of local circumstances, some of whom have taken a keen interest in planning issues over many years.

After decades of failure by successive governments to build sufficient houses in this country, particularly genuinely affordable houses, we strongly welcome the present government’s focus on this issue.  The inability of many of the younger generation ever to own their own home is socially unacceptable, as is the huge rise in renting and the ever-increasing rent levels that we now see as a result.   In commenting on local planning applications, we have argued on many occasions for the provision of more smaller and affordable housing units and stressed the importance of new housing developments being designed in a way that will promote a local sense of community.  The past record of many commercial developers in this regard has been extremely disappointing.

In deciding where to build, however, it is crucial to consider a region’s topography.  High Wycombe and the surrounding area are constrained by being on the A40 London Road in a narrow valley into which all development on the adjacent hills has to feed.  This led to a recent decision, by an Inquiry Inspector, to refuse a 540-dwelling development on purely highways grounds.

Similarly, AONB and Green Belt are of key importance to local residents and play a dominating role in our surrounding Buckinghamshire countryside.  As recently as 2019, Wycombe District Council carried out a Green Belt review and some land was reallocated for building through this process.  However, the great difficulty then of identifying additional building land suggests it will be extremely hard to identify any more.

In addition, it is absolutely vital that any new developments are supported by the necessary infrastructure, roads, schools, water, electricity, sewage etc.  The cost of providing these and who pays for them must be a serious consideration in all such developments and we are concerned that there is no commitment by the Government to support their funding.  Experience shows that residents will only support new developments if the necessary schools, cycle paths etc are provided up front.

For their part, we should not forget that builders are often reluctant to build at volume. Our experience shows that they will only build houses at the pace at which they anticipate being able to sell them.  A nearby development, Abbey Barn Park, has just four properties for sale, despite being on a sizeable plot of land and billed as “a growing new community”.

We would very much like the new NPPF to succeed and enable the provision of sufficient housing to meet our society’s needs, but one size does not fit all.  It is vital to ensure that the housing provided is in the places where it is needed and supported by the necessary infrastructure.  We therefore ask that you consider how best to adjust the overall policy to local circumstances and allow local people a real voice in the development in their area.

Yours faithfully,