Prior to Christmas, there was much discussion locally about West Berkshire Council’s proposal to withdraw the “Local Plan” for examination, and the Government’s decision to intervene.
A Local Plan is prepared under the National Planning Policy Framework, enabling local authorities to decide the most appropriate places for housing development in consultation with residents over the years ahead.
As the Council are aware, without a Local Plan in place, it would not have the powers necessary to prevent speculative development from taking place across West Berkshire. It is precisely because of the success of previous Local Plans that our beautiful countryside has been successfully protected over the years, in stark contrast to many of our neighbouring areas.
However, West Berkshire Council has not updated its Plan since 2012, putting it behind 80% of other local authorities in the country. When our recent Local Plan was submitted in March 2023, it had been years in the making, cost approximately £1.5 million to produce and was arrived at on a broadly collaborative basis.
Indeed, the local Liberal Democrat councillors (who were in opposition at the time) put out a public statement in December 2022 saying: “[We] are broadly content with district-wide policies in the Local Plan… We certainly won’t be voting against the motion to publish it for the Regulation 19 consultation”. Before going on to vote against it the following week.
Given the necessity of an up-to-date Plan and the fact that it was democratically agreed upon, the Council will have known that the Department for Levelling Up,
Housing & Communities would be likely to intervene, as they did in December.
Under section 27 of the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004, the Secretary of State has powers to do so where he believes “that a local planning authority are failing or omitting to do anything it is necessary for them to do in connection with the preparation, revision or adoption of a development plan document.” Ahead of the Council meeting on 19 December, the Housing Minister confirmed to the Leader of the Council that withdrawing the Local Plan would amount to a failure of this test.
I appreciate that elements of the emerging Local Plan, particularly the development in North East Thatcham, have resulted in legitimate concerns especially about the environmental impact of the area which comes closest to Bucklebury Common. Indeed the Council made revisions to the Local Plan on the basis of these objections before it was subject to a vote.
However, whilst I have no direct say over planning matters, I do not think it is responsible to withdraw our Local Plan and leave the villages and countryside across West Berkshire unprotected from speculative development. Houses must go somewhere and our local target is already among the lowest in the Thames Valley. It is right this Plan goes forward, following the rigorous and democratic process to which it was subject, that included residents’ views and considered the area as a whole.