What is the Buckinghamshire Local Plan
and what does it mean for Hedgerley?

The draft Buckinghamshire Local Plan is a formal document that is going through a legal process before it becomes the basis of all planning and development decision making in the county. It is currently under consultation and residents have an opportunity to make comments up until 6 September.

The draft Local Plan runs to 450 pages! It is much easier to digest in chunks, which you can do on the Buckinghamshire Council website here, along with helpful video.
We have had a go at summarising it (see below), as far as Hedgerley is concerned. We started by looking at the policies map, to see what is applicable to Hedgerley, and then looked up the relevant policies. As a double check, we looked up the ‘significant development’ areas, and confirmed Hedgerley is not listed.

If you want to make comments about the plan, including support or otherwise, you should follow the link on the Council’s website.

Proposed Policies Applicable to Hedgerley

Policy NE16: Protection of the Green Belt
Applies to all of Hedgerley.

1. Development in the Green Belt is inappropriate except where it is on previously developed land that meets the criteria below or meets one of the following exceptions:
   a) Buildings for agriculture and forestry.
   b) The provision of appropriate facilities (in connection with the existing use of land or a change of use) including buildings for outdoor sport, outdoor recreation, recreational moorings and water-based recreation activities, cemeteries and burial grounds and allotments; as long as the facilities preserve the openness of the Green Belt and do not conflict with the purposes of including land within it;
   c) The replacement or extension of buildings.
   d) Limited infilling only within the built-up villages identified on the Policies Map and in accordance with the definition […] below.
   e) Limited affordable housing for local community needs only in accordance with Policy HO9 Rural Exception Sites.
   f) Other forms of development specified in the NPPF provided they preserve its openness and do not conflict with the purposes of including land within the Green Belt.
2. Inappropriate development will not be supported unless there are very special circumstances. Very special circumstances will exist when the harm to the Green Belt by reason of inappropriateness, and any other harm, is clearly outweighed by other considerations.

Policy NE17: Extension or replacement of buildings and residential outbuildings in the Green Belt
Applies to all of Hedgerley.

1. The extension or replacement of a building will only be considered appropriate development in the Green Belt when it satisfies conditions (a) to (c) below. The gross external floor area of existing outbuildings unless proposed to be demolished will not be included in any calculations.
   a. The total gross external floor area of the resulting building is no more than 50% greater than the original building gross external floor area; and
   b .has no adverse impact on openness by virtue of bulk, height and location; and
   c. It accords with a made Neighbourhood Plan (where applicable) [Not applicable to Hedgerley]
2. Extension or replacement of a dwelling by more than 50% of the original building gross external floor area is disproportionate, is likely to harm the openness of the Green Belt and would not be supported.
3. The erection of domestic outbuildings will be considered not inappropriate development in the Green Belt within village built-up areas shown on the Policies Map. Elsewhere in the Green Belt, any increase in the gross external floor area of residential outbuildings will only be considered appropriate development when all the following conditions apply:

a. The total gross external floor area of all outbuildings on the property would not exceed 25% of the gross external floor area of the original dwelling.
b. No more than 50% of the total area of the curtilage (excluding the ground area of the dwelling) shall be occupied by outbuildings.
c. No part of the development would exceed 4 metres in height (measured from the highest part of the surface next to the building where that has not been raised).

4. Proposals for the extension or replacement of a dwelling or the erection of an outbuilding will also be required to respect the open character of the Green Belt and appear proportionate to the original dwelling, taking account of visual impact.

Policy SP11: Energy efficiency and natural resources

‘Opportunity Area – Solar’ applies to North/West of Hedgerley (see map).

This policy is mostly to do with low‑carbon development but also includes opportunity areas for solar, wind and battery storage development. 

Opportunity areas for solar will be supported in principle, subject to compliance with the criteria below:
All such development must:
• promote the efficient use of land, directing large scale solar development towards previous developed or non-agricultural sites include details of site restoration, decommissioning and aftercare.
• avoid unacceptable cumulative impacts with existing or permitted energy development.
• demonstrate that there are no significant adverse impacts on landscape character, biodiversity or heritage assets.
• ensure there is no unacceptable impact on residential amenity, including from noise, emissions or visual effects.
• ensure safe access and no unacceptable impacts on highway safety.

Policy NE12: Special Areas of Conservation, Special Protection Areas and Ramsar sites

Applicable to the small area around Penlands Farm within 500m of Burnham Beeces.

Where development is located within an identified Exclusion Zone in relation to a Special Area of Conservation, development which could lead to increased recreational pressure will not be permitted. As shown on the Policies Map, the Plan defines a five hundred metres exclusion zone for residential development around Burnham Beeches SAC and Chilterns Beechwoods SAC (Ashridge Commons and Woods SSSI only).