Decision

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

Reasons for the decision

The Burnham Neighbourhood Plan has been through the formal stages required and, following receipt of the Examiner’s report, it was recommended to proceed to referendum subject to the examiner’s modifications being made to the plan. Therefore, on 29 April 2026, the Burnham Neighbourhood Plan was put to a referendum of eligible voters within the designated Burnham Neighbourhood Area.
Under the regulations the referendum had to ask the following question –
Do you want Buckinghamshire Council to use the Neighbourhood Plan for Burnham 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 – 1196 No – 111
This represented a 92% 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 30 April 2026.

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.
(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.)
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.