Woburn Sands Neighbourhood Plan

Current position

At its meeting on 16 July 2014 Full Council approved that, following the successful neighbourhood planning referendum, Milton Keynes Council makes the Woburn Sands Neighbourhood Plan part of the Milton Keynes Council Development Plan. 

The Decision Statement and Full Council meeting decision sheet can be viewed at:

The final Woburn Sands Neighbourhood Plan document can be viewed at:

Update September 2014

Following the Neighbourhood Plan being 'made', a minor error has been noted within the plan. The following erratum has therefore been added to the Preface page of the latest copies of the plan.

Erratum

Please note that Area A, as shown on the Proposals Map attached to the Plan, has never been the subject of a planning application as stated in para 6.9 of the text. Accordingly para 6.9 has been amended with the agreement of Milton Keynes Council and Woburn Sands Town Council to read as follows:

6.9 Area A is agricultural land. The area has never been the subject of any planning application. Area B has been the subject of a planning application for a major development covering that area and an adjacent area in Wavendon Parish.  Woburn Sands Town Council and Wavendon Parish Council objected in the strongest possible terms since there is adequate land for development adjacent to this plot in the approved Milton Keynes Strategic Land Development Area. The proposed development would also put an unreasonable additional burden on the infrastructure of both Parishes and lead to major transport difficulties. The first application was refused by Milton Keynes Council; a second application was also refused in October 2012.

Process to becoming a 'Made' plan

May 2014

A referendum was held on Thursday 22 May 2014 in Woburn Sands to decide on the following question:

"Do you want Milton Keynes Council to use the Neighbourhood Plan for the Woburn Sands Area to help it decide planning applications in the neighbourhood area?"

Out of 1032 votes cast, 919 voted in favour. View the full Woburn Sands Neighbourhood Plan Results here. 

The Woburn Sands Neighbourhood Plan becomes the first Neighbourhood Plan in the Borough to succeed at both public examination and at referendum and is one of only 14 agreed at referendum across the country, since Neighbourhood Plans were introduced by the Localism Act in 2012.

Having now successfully been accepted at referendum, the plan will be taken to full Council so as to bring the Plan into force and make it a part of the statutory Development Plan.

A date for full Council will be published once agreed.

April 2014 

A referendum relating to the making of the Woburn Sands Neighbourhood Plan is to be held on 22 May 2014.

Details of the referendum, the referendum area and how to take part can be found in the below information notes and associated map:

March 2014 

Following the examination of the Woburn Sands Neighbourhood Plan, including a Neighbourhood Plan public hearing held in January, the Examiner, Mr P. Biggers, has now provided Milton Keynes Council with his Examiner's report.

The report can be viewed at: Woburn Sands Examiners Report (PDF, 696KB).

Officers will now produce a report for a delegated decision to take place.

January 2014 

Mr Peter Biggers has been appointed to carry out the examination of the Woburn Sands Neighbourhood Plan. As part of the examination, a local hearing will be held on Wednesday 29 January 2014.

The hearing will start at 9:30am and will take place at the Woburn Sands Memorial Hall, 4 High Street, Woburn Sands, Milton Keynes, MK17 8RH.

The hearing is open to the public, but participation in the discussion is at the invitation of the Examiner only. Invited participants have been contacted individually.

The examination will focus on whether the Neighbourhood Plan is in general conformity with the Milton Keynes Core Strategy. A copy of the draft programme and detailed questions for the hearing can be viewed at:

The Neighbourhood Plan was publicised from 4 September to 30 October 2013. The responses received by Milton Keynes Council during the publicity period can be seen here: Publicity Responses October 2013 (PDF, 5.5MB)

Examination Hearing Documents

The submitted Neighbourhood Plan for Woburn Sands and minor amendments made to update the plan in November 2013 can be viewed at the following links:

August 2013

In April 2013, Woburn Sands Town Council, submitted their draft Neighbourhood Plan to Milton Keynes Council, in accordance with Regulation 15 of the Neighbourhood Planning (General) Regulations 2012.

The Woburn Sands Neighbourhood Plan is being published and made available for comment from Wednesday 4 September until Wednesday 30 October 2013.

For further information on the consultation including how to make comments and to read the submitted plan and its accompanying documents, please use the links below.

Area Designation

Following a cabinet decision on the 25 July 2012, the area put forward by Woburn Sands Town Council in their neighbourhood plan area application has now been approved as a neighbourhood plan area.

To comply with regulation 7 of the Neighbourhood Planning (General) Regulations 2012, Milton Keynes Council is publicising the following details:

Submission and Consultation

In April 2012, Woburn Sands Town Council applied to Milton Keynes Council, in accordance with the Neighbourhood Planning (General) Regulations 2012 to designate a Woburn Sands Neighbourhood Plan Area.

The application and a statement explaining why and how Woburn Sands Town Council intends to prepare a Neighbourhood Plan, and how the organisation and area meet the conditions of Section 61G(2) and 61F(5) of the Town And Country Planning Act, 1990 can be viewed at:

In accordance with Regulation 6 of the Neighbourhood Planning (General) Regulations 2012 Milton Keynes Council consulted residents and other interested stakeholders on this application. The Consultation ran for a 6 week period from Tuesday 8 May to Tuesday 19 Jun 2012. A copy of the consultation statement can be viewed at the link below.

This was not a consultation on the Neighbourhood Plan itself, but merely the identification of the area for which the parish or town council wished to prepare a neighbourhood development plan.

Following the close of the 6 week consultation period, Milton Keynes Council considered all the comments received and prepared a report and recommendation to take to Cabinet on the 25 July 2012.