Content

Following a referendum result in favour of the
neighbourhood plan, the decision is made that The Chesham
Neighbourhood Plan be made part of the Buckinghamshire Development
Plan.

Reasons for the decision

The Chesham Neighbourhood Plan has passed all
the formal stages required before it can be made. Buckinghamshire
Council must now make the plan.

Under the regulations the referendum had to ask the following
question –

Do you want Buckinghamshire Council to use the Neighbourhood Plan
for Chesham to help it decide planning applications in the
neighbourhood area?

Yes or No

Following the close of the referendum, the votes cast were counted
giving the following result:

Yes – 2478 No – 311

This represented a 89% Yes vote from those who turned out to
vote.

Since more than half of those voting in the referendum voted
‘YES’, the plan became a part of the development plan
on 7 November 2025 and the Council is under a statutory duty to
‘make’ the plan within 8 weeks from the day after the
referendum unless the plan would be in breach of European
legislation or the Convention on Human Rights.

(The Council has considered the European and human rights
implications of the Neighbourhood Plan as part of its consideration
of the draft Plan and the Examiner’s report and it is not
considered to contravene those rights.)

Alternative options considered

If a neighbourhood plan is supported by the
majority of people who vote in a referendum then the Local Planning
Authority have to make the plan, within 8 weeks of the day after
the referendum is held, in accordance with the relevant regulations
unless the plan would be in breach of European legislation or the
Convention on Human Rights.

As set out above the majority of people who voted supported the
plan and the council does not consider the plan would breach the
relevant legislation. As such there are no alternative actions
allowed by the regulations.