Planning Matters

Planning and Development within the Parish

For Pre Planning Applications please see our guidance document here.

The Local Planning Authority, Buckinghamshire Council, consults the Parish Council on all applications that have been received within the parish boundary. The Parish Council has no authority over the final decision and can only make a comment to either support, remain neutral or raise concerns relating to the application.

Parish Councils have no planning powers – they are statutory consultees with the same rights as a member of the public.

The planners work under strict guidelines and have to judge applications based on certain criteria. It can often be confusing when commenting on applications to know exactly which matters will be taken into account by the planning officers and which will not. A list of the material (relevant) and non-material (irrelevant) considerations can be found here.

If you have any objections we strongly advise that you make your comments known to Buckinghamshire Council by either writing to them or by commenting on the application directly via the Planning Portal. You can access full details of the application, view any associated plans, read any comments made by the Parish Council and others and view the status and decision, if it has been made.

Conservation Areas

You can check with your local planning authority (Buckinghamshire Council) to see if your proposed work is in a conservation area. If you live in a conservation area, you will need planning permission for relevant demolition in a conservation area to do the following:

• Demolish a building with a volume of more than 115 cubic metres. There are a few exceptions – you can get further information from Buckinghamshire Council.
• To demolish a gate, fence, wall or railing over 1 metre high next to a highway (including a public footpath or bridleway) or public open space; or over 2 metres high elsewhere.

Even if your proposals do not include the work mentioned above you should still check if an application is required. If your application is refused, granted with conditions or not determined within 8 weeks of it being validated by Buckinghamshire Council then you have the right to appeal to the Secretary of State.

What’s an Article 4 Direction?

Article 4 Directions can be invoked by the local planning authority (Buckinghamshire Council) to further prohibit the type of small alterations that would be usually allowed under Permitted Development rights even in a Conservation Area. These types of legislation specifically prohibit certain types of development and are specific to certain streets, parts of streets and even specific houses.

Typically they deal with repainting new colours on front doors, the banning of satellite dishes, even significant changes to gardens, and so on. Article 4 Directions can be specifically applied to houses – e.g. ‘at houses between 1-48 Church Road we only want front doors to have the following paint colour’ – or have a more blanket approach (such as ‘in the Churchill Conservation Area, we won’t allow satellite dishes at all without specific planning permission’).

Article 4 Directions are not specific to Conservation Areas and can be made outside of them — but by their nature, tend to be common in Conservation Areas. They are administered by the local planning authority (until a few years ago, the Secretary of State had to approve all Article 4 Directions) and, particularly in Conservation Areas, can be applied immediately, without consultation, if the local planning authority requires it.

If you want to make a change to your house that is prohibited by an Article 4, you will have to apply for planning approval. You can appeal against a decision, but you cannot appeal against an Article 4 Direction being applied to your house.

Current Planning Applications under consideration by Buckinghamshire Council’s Planning Department (this is not a definitive list – always refer to Buckinghamshire Council’s website for correct status):