The District Council’s outrageous decision to remove Greenbelt land to the North East of Chesham from a list of Assets of Community Value, whilst allocating it for development of over 500 homes in its draft Local Plan appears self-serving and hypocritical.

It follows a growing list of questionable decisions and shortcomings relating to the Council’s preparation of its draft Local Plan where many Councillors have raised serious concerns or chosen to remain silent yet they have still voted to adopt this Plan anyway! 

The Countryside Charity (formerly the Campaign For Protection of Rural England – CPRE), recently called on the Council to withdraw this Local Plan as they felt it was already out of date

Is all this an indication that it is now time for change?  Why are our elected Councillors tacitly condoning such behaviour?
​
BNG have concluded that the community has to elect independent Councillors onto the Town Council in May 2020.  We need Councillors who are INDEPENDENT of party politics and/or prepared to stand up for the community and openly question the “party line” of voting to approve a Local Plan that builds unaffordable houses on the Green Belt in an unsustainable location that creates more traffic congestion, worsens air quality in the town and compromises natural habitats and wildlife.

If you wish to discuss this or are considering standing for election onto Chesham Town Council and want support from BNG and its 1,800 supporters, please contact us at www.brownnotgreen.com/contact
​

​The Countryside Charity (formerly the Campaign For Protection of Rural England – CPRE) has sent an open letter to Chiltern & South Bucks District Councils calling on them to scrap the draft Local Plan which is still awaiting public examination despite the fact the Council itself will cease to exist at the end of March this year when a new Unitary Authority for Buckinghamshire takes over.

BNG was invited to be a co-signatory to this letter together with a number of other local community groups and several Councillors who are also fearful of consequences of this Local Plan. 

CPRE highlighted that the draft Local Plan is already out of date and that the Council’s own advisors estimate the Plan will increase the carbon footprint of the District by at least 21% yet the Council have only recently themselves declared a “climate emergency” and so to proceed with this Local Plan would be reckless hypocrisy.

BNG urge everyone to write to their District & County Councillor urging them to drop this controversial and highly unpopular Local Plan.

You can view the CPRE Press Release:  Click here

You can view the Open Letter:  Click here