A Neighbourhood Plan for Chesham Bois
Following a resolution made on 8th April 2024, Chesham Bois Parish Council launched a project to develop a Neighbourhood Plan to provide our community with an opportunity to create a shared vision with associated policies to protect key features and provide guidelines for any future changes.
What is a Neighbourhood Plan?
Neighbourhood Planning was introduced by the Localism Act in 2011 to allow communities to shape the future development of their neighbourhood. The scope of a Neighbourhood Plan includes protecting green spaces; changes to existing properties; biodiversity and environmental issues; new builds; roads; traffic; services; and facilities. Once adopted, a Neighbourhood Plan for Chesham Bois will be a legal document which Buckinghamshire Council, (the Local Planning Authority), developers and others will be required to take into account. Reference: Neighbourhood plans for Buckinghamshire | Buckinghamshire Council
YOUR VIEWS ARE IMPORTANT
An initial survey to obtain the views of residents and those who work in Chesham Bois was promoted in September 2024 and we wish to thank all those who submitted a response. The output of the survey is being used to develop the Neighbourhood Plan and further community engagement activities are being being planned.
Project Roadmap
Stage 1: To designate the Neighbourhood Area for Chesham Bois; build an evidence base with contributions from the community; and publicise the project to raise awareness.
Stage 2: To draft a Neighbourhood Plan and carry out the required consultations.
Stage 3: To bring the plan into force, following the successful outcome of an independent examination of the plan by Buckinghamshire Council and a public referendum.
Current status of the Neighbourhood Plan Project
We are currently at Stage 1 of the project. The initial step was to apply to Buckinghamshire Council for Chesham Bois to be designated as a ‘Neighbourhood Area’ and that was approved in May 2024, ref. Decision – Chesham Bois Neighbourhood Area Designation – Modern Council (moderngov.co.uk). News of the project to develop a Neighbourhood Plan was subsequently provided on flyers distributed at the Summer Fete held on 15th June; in editions of the free community magazine ‘Your Amersham’; and posted on the Parish Council website.
At a meeting held on 30th April 2024, the Parish Council resolved to appoint a Planning Consultant to support the development of a Neighbourhood Plan and set up a Steering Group to focus on the project. Steering Group Terms of Reference (PDF). Members of the Steering Group are all local, unpaid volunteers with relevant experience and knowledge.
Organisations such as town and parish councils that lead the development of a Neighbourhood Plan are eligible to apply for a Basic Grant of up to £10,000 to help fund the cost of developing a Neighbourhood Plan. Chesham Bois Parish Council applied for a grant on 13th June 2024 and we received news that the grant had been approved on 8th July 2024.
Research is currently underway to build the evidence base for the Neighbourhood Plan which will include the demographic profile of the community, the historic and natural environment of Chesham Bois, local employment and community services and facilities.
Project information: Updates relating to Steering Group Meetings and project documents will be posted in this section.
Privacy: We will only use the information that you provide for the sole purpose of informing the development of the Chesham Bois Neighbourhood Plan. We will not share or publish any personal details. For more information about data and privacy, please see our Data Protection Privacy Notice: Link to policy document already posted on website
If you have any questions about the Neighbourhood Plan Project, please email: clerk@cheshamboispc.org.uk