Petition calls for NHS to have more power in planning decisions
It has been started by a campaigner from Aylesbury
The NHS needs to be able to influence decisions over major planning decisions - like the thousands of homes planned around Aylesbury.
That's according to a local campaigner, who has started a petition for a tightening of the law.
Phil Yerby told us NHS worries over capacity and calls for funding from developers go ignored.
He said:
"So we want to change the law so that the NHS has to give prior approval to just simply say that the medical facilities that are being provided are sufficient.
"While we all want houses, we have to provide adequate medical provision, otherwise this just stores up problems for the future."
One of the catalysts for this petition was Bucks Healthcare's concerns over Hampden Fields in Aylesbury being effectively dismissed when the controversial development was approved.
They said that current services, including Stoke Mandeville Hospital, just wouldn't cope and asked for several million pounds to fund extra services.
What does the petition ask?
The petition page asks the government to:
Change the NPPF to ensure that Planning Authorities must, before they approve (or recommend approval) on any new development (more than 10 houses or of greater than 10,000sqft other uses) have reached agreement with the relevant NHS authorities that the Healthcare provision provided is sufficient.
Phil added:
"Everybody always says infrastructure before development.
"But this is what it actually means without it: It means people won't have a space at their GP services, it means increased pressure on secondary services like hospitals.
"So it is really important that we all make a stand."
The petition needs 100,000 signatures for a debate in Parliament.
With towns up and down the country facing similar situations, Mr. Yerby is hopeful that it will soon reach that number and achieve changes needed.