Buckinghamshire Council is inviting residents and organisations to have their final say on the draft Local Plan. The plan sets out how the county could accommodate around 91,000 homes required under national planning policy. While the council does not set the housing requirement, it is legally responsible for planning how it is delivered.

The draft Local Plan for Cuddington retains the allocation of housing at Dadbrook that is included in the existing Vale of Aylesbury Local Plan (VALP) and referred to in the Cuddington Neighbourhood Plan (NP). However, the site has been expanded to include the existing farm buildings (which would need to be removed), and the capacity of the site has been increased from a minimum of 15 to 70 homes.

This is the last chance to comment on these proposals. The consultation closes at 11.59pm on Sunday 6 September.

The purpose of the Reg 19 consultation and details of how to comment are set out on the Buckinghamshire Council website here:

https://www.buckinghamshire.gov.uk/planning-building-and-environment/policy-breaches-and-enforcement/buckinghamshire-local-plan/reg-19-consultation/reg-19-faqs/#making-a-representation

The Parish Council meet on Friday 14^th August to agree any response.  The meeting starts at the early time of 6pm and will be held in public.  All welcome.  

As we count down to reopening, it's hard to believe just how much has been achieved in such a short space of time.

When work began, there was plenty to do. Rooms needed clearing, furniture needed repairing, walls needed repainting and the gardens needed bringing back to life. Since then, The Crown has undergone a remarkable transformation, thanks to the dedication of an incredible team of volunteers from across the village.

Over the past few months, volunteers have given many of hours of their time to prepare the pub for its next chapter. They have cleared years of accumulated clutter, repainted walls, refreshed the décor, reupholstered furniture, and restored outdoor spaces that will welcome visitors from the moment they arrive.

While the physical transformation is clear to see, what makes it even more special is the spirit behind it. We are overwhelmed by the enthusiasm, generosity and pride of people who wanted to see their local pub thrive once again and are happy to put in the hours to support it. 

The reopening of The Crown is the result of a community coming together with a shared vision and a willingness to roll up their sleeves to make it happen. Thank you to everyone who has volunteered their time, skills and energy. Your hard work has helped create a welcoming space that the whole village can be proud of.

This really is your community pub, and we can't wait to welcome everyone through the doors very soon.

Buckinghamshire Council has published its draft site allocation from its earlier Call for Sites.  An informal engagement on 400 potential sites is now invited from landowners and agents, town and parish councils, developers and infrastructure providers. However, since publication of this article in Village Voice, the Parish Council has learnt that Parishioners are also able to submit comments using the Online Survey here.  The survey closes on 16th March 2026.  If you wish to share your views with the Parish Council please email clerk@cuddington-bucks-pc.gov.uk (by Wednesday 11th March).

For Cuddington, the two sites are Dadbrook Farm (Ref 216), put forward for 72 homes, and a Haddenham site beside the A418/Churchway (Ref 294).

The Parish Council will be responding to the consultation stressing that any development at Dadbrook should prioritise the existing brownfield farm buildings rather than expanding into greenfield areas. The PC’s response will also include the delivery of the Dadbrook footpath, the safety of the A418 junction and the infrastructure constraints specifically highways, schools and drainage.

For Haddenham site the main concerns are safe access onto the A418, the risk of visual or physical coalescence with Cuddington (as the gateway to Haddenham, a green buffer will be requested) and the infrastructure constraints specifically highways, schools and drainage. The Draft Local Plan with proposed suitable sites is expected in the summer and will include a formal consultation when residents can make their views known.

Please read more here:

https://www.buckinghamshire.gov.uk/planning-and-building-control/planning-policy/local-planning/buckinghamshire-local-plan/

Please view the interactive map here:

Local Plan for Buckinghamshire sites survey - Your Voice Bucks - Citizen Space

Cuddington Neighbourhood Plan

The current Cuddington Neighbourhood Plan (CNP) remains in force until 2027 but ideally should be reviewed after 5 years, i.e. April 2027. The benefits of undertaking a review include updating the CNP with the emerging Buckinghamshire Local Plan, addressing any gaps in the existing Plan, and securing protection against speculative development. The Parish Council has agreed to review this when the next major review of the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) is published (expected summer 2026).  The Draft of this new NPPF includes specific provision for Neighbourhood Plans.

HGV Control – Waddesdon Freight Strategy

HGV traffic through the village roads is at a record high and is causing damaged roads, eroded verges, increased potholes, and safety concerns.  The Parish Council requested an update from the Senior Transport Strategy Officer (Freight) at Buckinghamshire Council on the progress of the much-awaited Waddesdon Freight Strategey, which is summarised here:

The Waddesdon Freight Strategy was paused while the Ivinghoe Freight Zone pilot was completed.  The pilot was not as successful as hoped, because enforcement of the restriction could not be implemented.  Buckinghamshire Council now plans to use powers (under Part VI of the Traffic Management Act 2004 – commonly called Moving Traffic Enforcement) and hopes to include this in the next cabinet submission, after which there would be a public consultation.

In the meantime, officers agree it sensible to consider more local, targeted measures rather than waiting for the full enforcement outcome from Ivinghoe.  They will work with local members from the Waddesdon area to identify potential intervention sites, assess how HGV movements might be displaced, and scope likely impacts.  Buckinghamshire Council is also looking to introduce a new version of the council’s freight strategy.  This will incorporate a need a default use of Construction Traffic Management Plans for new developments of significance.  This will identify routings for construction vehicles avoiding villages and sticking to more appropriate A and B class routes.

Work has started on identifying potential sites and understanding impacts on HGV flows and they will be looking to bring options to parish councils as soon as they can.

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