Members of a civic group in Beaconsfield have described a proposed neighbourhood plan that was defeated in a referendum this week as ‘disappointingly bad’.

An admittedly low turnout of 23 per cent of the town’s electorate voted against the plan on Monday, September 9, with 65 per cent ultimately choosing to oppose it and, at least for now, surrender their right to have more of a say about what happens to the surrounding area.

The plan was approved for referendum by an independent examiner in May, who suggested that it was compatible with “a desire to protect the semi-rural environment and conserve and enhance the character of the town” – but has also consistently met with opposition from locals over its policy on the green belt.

Members of the Beaconsfield Society, in particular, have insisted that it “doesn’t do enough” to discourage large-scale developments on land near the town earmarked to prevent urban sprawl.

This included the power to add eco-friendly initiatives to proposed projects to make them more palatable, including new cycle paths and animal habitats – something the Beaconsfield Society feared would only encourage developers.

The scrapped document also stated, however, that “inappropriate development proposals within the green belt and Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) will not be supported” and emphasised a focus on “reusing brownfield land and realising other suitable development opportunities within the town boundary”.

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Despite this, local campaigners have celebrated a return to the drawing board in the wake of the unsuccessful vote – with a spokesperson telling the Free Press: “We are disappointed that (this) was such a bad plan it had to be roundly rejected by the public.

“It failed to protect the land surrounding Beaconsfield and put our green belt at risk. With (local) elections in May, we expect the council to listen to residents and start work immediately on an improved plan.”

Cllr Alastair Pike, chair of the neighbourhood plan steering group, said yesterday that he was “deeply disappointed” by the result.

Adding: “This means we will not be able to deliver policy in line with how we want the town to develop, through a design code, additional local green spaces, smaller housing and more.

“Most importantly, there will be no planning policy reaffirming the town council’s commitment to opposing developments in the green belt.”

Mayor Paul Mason previously endorsed the plan while appearing to acknowledge its shortcomings by promising an ‘extraordinary’ council meeting if it was approved to review immediate changes to some of its policies.

The mayor said: “Given the Labour government’s clear intention to make changes to the release of green belt land, a Beaconsfield Neighbourhood Plan would become the most up-to-date planning policy relating to the area and the sooner we can start to evaluate the impacts, the better.”