Proposed 2,890 Home Development East of Brackley - Have Your Say

Posted 1 hour ago in Residents' Information

Brackley Town Council is encouraging residents to respond to Buckinghamshire Council's Regulation 19 consultation on its Draft Local Plan.

The Plan includes a proposed strategic development immediately east of Brackley at Turweston, known as Policy NESS013, which would deliver approximately 2,890 new homes.

Individual responses matter, and commenting in a personal manner including your specific experiences has the most impact with planning officers. Submit your response through the Buckinghamshire Council's Local Plan consultation portal linked below.

The consultation closes on Sunday 6 September, so residents are encouraged to submit their responses as soon as possible.

If you agree with Brackley Town Council's position, you are encouraged to explain in your own words why you believe Policy NESS013 should be removed from the Local Plan.

Thank you for taking the time to help ensure Brackley's voice is heard.

Comment on Policy NESS013: Turweston NESS (website)

Why this matters to Brackley

The Draft Buckinghamshire Local Plan proposes a major strategic development at Turweston (Policy NESS013), immediately beyond Brackley's eastern boundary.

The proposal includes approximately 2,890 homes, together with employment land, community facilities and additional Gypsy and Traveller pitches. At this scale, the development would place a huge additional burden on Brackley's infrastructure and services, including roads, schools and healthcare facilities.

Due to its location within Buckinghamshire, neither Brackley Town Council nor West Northamptonshire Council would receive any developer contributions to support the additional pressure placed on infrastructure by this rapid expansion.

Brackley Town Council therefore considers that the proposal places the costs and impacts of significant growth on Brackley, while the development and associated funding remain within Buckinghamshire. The Council believes this demonstrates a fundamental failure of cross-boundary planning and is one of the reasons why Policy NESS013 should be removed from the Local Plan.

Brackley Town Council's Stance

Brackley Town Council is seeking the removal of Policy NESS013 from the Buckinghamshire Local Plan as it considers it to be:

• Not justified
• Not effective
• Not consistent with national planning policy

Brackley Town Council will be objecting to the proposal and believes the Local Plan is unsound for a number of reasons, including:

• Lack of effective cross-boundary planning between Buckinghamshire Council and West Northamptonshire Council.
• Significant pressure on schools, healthcare services, roads and community infrastructure, much of which is located in Brackley rather than Buckinghamshire.
• Concerns that the cumulative impact of growth around Brackley has not been properly assessed.
• Questions about whether the proposal is genuinely sustainable given its distance from Brackley's town centre and reliance on routes across the A43 and other existing transport constraints.
• Concerns that the evidence supporting the proposal, including transport and infrastructure assessments, has not been sufficiently developed to justify a scheme of this scale.
• Concerns about whether the development can realistically be delivered within the Local Plan period.

Have Your Say

Planning Inspectors give greatest weight to representations that clearly explain local impacts and concerns in residents' own words. Responses should focus on whether the Plan is:

• Legally compliant
• Positively prepared
• Justified
• Effective
• Consistent with national policy

In your response, you may also wish to provide real examples from your own experience to give weight to your comments, such as issues with traffic congestion, difficulties accessing healthcare services, pressure on school places, or challenges walking and cycling around the town. Explaining these issues in your own words can help demonstrate the potential impact of further growth. 

You may also want to consider some of the following points in your comments:

• Whether the proposed scale of growth is appropriate for Brackley and surrounding communities.
• Are existing road networks capable of accommodating additional traffic?
• Do local schools, GP surgeries, healthcare facilities and community services have sufficient capacity?
• Can safe and realistic walking, cycling and public transport connections be provided?
• Whether Buckinghamshire Council has worked effectively with West Northamptonshire Council and local infrastructure providers before proposing a development of this size.
• Does the evidence supporting the proposal adequately addresses transport, infrastructure, education and healthcare impacts?
• Whether the proposal can be delivered in a realistic and sustainable way.

How to respond

Responses can be submitted through Buckinghamshire Council’s Local Plan consultation portal using the links below.

You’ll need to enter your email address so a verification code can be sent to you. This can take a few minutes, so please wait a while and check your spam folder. If the code doesn’t arrive, you can select ‘Send another code’. However, once you do this, the original code will no longer work, so it’s best to wait a few minutes before requesting a new one.

Once your email has been verified, you’ll be asked to enter some basic details. You can then start answering the questions and completing the form.

The consultation closes at 11:59pm on Sunday 6 September 2026.

Comment on Policy NESS013: Turweston NESS (website)

Read the Whole Draft Local Plan Regulation 19 Document (website)