How Planning works in Bucks
Buckinghamshire Council is the local authority for all of Buckinghamshire. It deals with all aspects of planning.
Bucks Gov Website – Planning and building control
This link will take you to the part of their website which covers specific applications, but also their policies. There’s a lot here, but importantly, you will see that there is not yet a Local Plan for Buckinghamshire. When this is published and approved, it will become a key reference document for everyone.
There is also a Chiltern District Local Plan, but this dates back to 1997 (with some later revisions), and many parts are no longer relevant.
It’s worth mentioning also that there is a National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) which is published by the UK Government and which sets out national policies – last published in December 2024. Bucks have to take this into account when making their decisions:
Read the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF)
Each time a planning application is submitted, Bucks appoint a Planning Officer to “own” the application. Their job is to assess and manage the application and to participate in the decision-making process at the end.
Buckinghamshire Council’s Planning Committee determine the outcome of planning applications.
Our Parish Council (PC) reviews all applications that affect us. At their monthly committee meeting, the councillor who has been studying the application makes a recommendation as to whether to object or not. The committee then considers this and posts their comments online, just as individual residents do.
Note that the PC takes a common sense not a technical approach. They are not planning experts. And the PC does not have any control over which decision the Bucks planners reach.
If a planning decision is made with which someone disagrees, there is a right to appeal but this is a long and costly process.
The best way to comment on an application
Relevant comments (which include objections) are not easy to put together. This is especially true as, for confidentiality reasons, comments made by other residents are no longer visible online.
To comment on any application, just click here:
Bucks Gov Website – Online applications
and copy and paste the reference number, which we list in the “Current applications” section below, into the search box at the bottom of the page and click “search”.
You’ll need to register and login if you want to comment but this is straightforward.
Bucks Council give a useful guide on making comments here:
Bucks Gov Website – Comment or object to a planning application
The most important bit is at the bottom. It shows all the types of comments that they will consider and those they will not. It is not helpful to make comments that they won’t consider. At worst, this may mean that they don’t pay attention to your relevant comments (they do get a huge number of comments).
What type of applications do we include on this website?
Applications that we think have an impact on people who live and work in Little Chalfont.
We won’t include applications that affect one neighbour or one part of one road (e.g. an extension or a new house design) unless the application affects Little Chalfont as a whole.
Current applications
The table below lists all relevant applications that we have identified – with the appropriate links to plans and documents which guide the Bucks planning team when they review comments.
Location/Name | Reference Number | Status |
|---|---|---|
If you think that there is any part of this new planning section which we could improve, please send an email to enquiries@littlechalfont.org.uk Thank you.
Disclaimer
Any information on this website cannot and does not seek to be a substitute for specialist advice from a planning professional. The information is provided only to assist the Little Chalfont community to understand the basics of how and when the community can voice its views on planning applications, how planning applications are considered and some of the factors the planning officers and the council planning committee will consider when reaching a decision.
The LCCA is not responsible for any errors or omissions, or for the results obtained from the use of this information. All information in this planning section is provided “as is”, with no guarantee of completeness, accuracy, timeliness or of the results obtained from the use of this information.
