Secretary of State grants planning permission for 130 new homes in Buckingham

Monday, 4 March 2024 07:00

By Charlie Smith - Local Democracy Reporter

The Secretary of State has granted planning permission for 130 new homes to be built in Buckingham.

The decision ends a four-year planning battle over Bellway Homes Limited and Avenue Farms Limited’s application to develop two fields west of Moreton Road and Castlemilk.

The developers proposed to build a range of one-bedroom and two-bedroom apartments and two, three, four and five-bedroom homes.

Plans also include creating a new public open space with two rugby pitches, a children’s play area, planting new trees and creating new access to the site for vehicles, cyclists and pedestrians from Shetland Road and Lincoln Road.

However, the plans were called into the Secretary of State after more than 100 residents and councillors objected to the plans.

Some of the main concerns were over parking, traffic, infrastructure, overdevelopment of the area and the potential risk of flooding.

Civic group the Buckingham Society said: “It is totally disingenuous to imply that measures calculated to reduce vehicular traffic will have any positive effect on the volumes of car journeys.”

Maids Moreton Parish Council said: “For users of the streets and public rights of way within the village, there is no protection from the damaging noise and pollution that this development would bring.”

A previous application by Bellway for 130 homes on the site was called in and rejected by the Secretary of State in 2017.

The developer’s newly approved application forms the third phase of its plans for the area next to its two existing housing developments.

In his decision, the Secretary of State said he agreed with a planning inspector’s recommendation for approval following a public inquiry into the application held in October 2023.