Great Horwood Parish Council's response to Croudace Homes proposal to develop Land North of Little Horwood Road and Cherry Leas.

The proposal claims that the development will meet all local policy targets, which is clearly untrue.

The Great Horwood Parish Neighbourhood Plan (GHPNP) was made in 2015 and covers the period to 2031. It is thus still the key planning policy for the parish together with the Vale of Aylesbury Local Plan (VALP) which was adopted in 2021 and covers the period to 2033. These two policies will be the overriding ones for Great Horwood until the Buckinghamshire Local Plan is made.  This is not expected until 2027 at the earliest. 

Policy 1 of the GHPNP states that the Neighbourhood Plan designates a Great Horwood Settlement Boundary, as shown on the Policies Map, for the purpose of containing the physical growth of the village over the plan period. 

A further part of Policy 1 states that Development proposals on land outside the settlement boundary will not be permitted in the countryside unless it is necessary for the purpose of agriculture or forestry, or for enterprise, diversification or recreation that benefits the rural economy without harming countryside interests. New development in the countryside should not result in the loss of open land that contributes to the form and character of Great Horwood and Singleborough.

So, as shown by the map, a Planning Application to develop the land proposed by Croudace contravenes the GHPNP. Given this it will be robustly opposed by Great Horwood Parish Council, and we trust that Buckinghamshire Council will refuse it.

We will let the residents know if such a Planning Application is submitted and YOU will all be able to make your own comments on the application direct to Buckinghamshire Council.