Campaigners have called for the plan outlining where thousands of homes will be built in the South Bucks  to be delayed until the new ‘super council’ is launched.

The Beaconsfield Society has urged South Bucks District Council (SBDC) to delay the publication of the draft Local Plan – which sets out future housing growth – until a county-wide proposal can be created.

In a statement issued this week, the society said “Beaconsfield deserves better” as ongoing delays means the district council will not exist when the plan is due to be implemented, as the new unitary authority will be in place by May 2020.

The group also raised fresh concerns over the controversial development of the former Ministry of Defence site in Beaconsfield, Wilton Park, saying “a better local engagement and inclusion plan needs to be developed”.

The society said: “The Beaconsfield Society is calling for common sense in developing a countywide plan for housing, as impacts of these magnitudes need a more strategic view than a district council can give.

“And should that council not be in existence when the plan is due for delivery, there is no one accountable should the plan prove a failure.”

Chair of the society, Alison Wheelhouse, added: “The slowness of the delivery of the emerging Local Plan, now many months behind schedules released last year, means the investigation and inspection work surrounding the plan will likely be after the elections for the new unitary.

“We think that means no one will be accountable for the plan as the district will no longer exist.”

A spokesman for SBDC said it is likely the new unitary council will be adopting the joint local plan for Chiltern and South Bucks, and therefore “will be accountable” for the decision.

Spokesman, Connie Primmer, said: “Not having a local plan leaves us vulnerable to speculative planning applications.

“The other districts in Buckinghamshire; Aylesbury and Wycombe, are at an advanced stage of their local plans and we will also be at an advanced stage by June, so by summer there will be a full draft local plan for the county, with the final county-wide plan ready for summer 2020.

“The new Buckinghamshire Council is due to start in May 2020 and it is not likely the new authority will be reviewing the local plans immediately.

“It is likely that it is the new council which will be the authority adopting the local plan and will therefore be accountable for this decision.

“We appreciate the Beaconsfield Society’s interest in the Local Plan and look forward to continued consultation with them and the wider public as the process continues.”