Council Offices, Queen Victoria Road, High Wycombe

HIW05: Council Offices, Queen Victoria Road, High Wycombe 1.The site as shown on the Policies Map is allocated for a mixed-use development comprising of 500 sqm of offices, retail, healthcare, and an assumed 150 dwellings for NHS key workers. 2.Development of the site will be supported where: a) The site will deliver a well-designed high-density scheme that makes good use of a brownfield site. To deliver this, the proposal should explore lower provision of car parking spaces. b) The site design should reflect the River Wye setting by responding positively to the River Wye corridor through building layout, public realm, landscaping, biodiversity enhancement and flood-resilient design. c) Significant flood risk constraints on the site are addressed. If development is proposed within the area at risk of flooding, minimal obstruction measures, such as under croft parking, are likely to be required to raise finished floor levels above the design flood level. Ground raising should be avoided due to the fluvial and surface water risk. d) Housing uses are not allowed in areas of Flood Zone 3b. e) A site specific detailed 1D-2D hydraulic model should be provided and approved as part of a site-specific flood risk assessment, to demonstrate that the site can be made safe for its lifetime. This must be undertaken and agreed to the satisfaction of the Environment Agency (EA) and the Lead Local Flood Authority (LLFA) prior to the submission of any planning application. 6.343 This site is 1.04 hectares and is part of a cluster of uses that are civic in their nature. The site is currently occupied by the Council Offices and is a prime location for employment in the town centre. In the long term there is potential for town centre sites to be redeveloped together as part of the ongoing regeneration of the town centre. 6.344 Redevelopment of this site provides the opportunity to introduce an element of flexibility given the location of the site in the town centre. This flexibility would allow for the potential to incorporate some other main town centre uses especially fronting onto Queen Victoria Road. 6.345 Car parking provision should reflect the highly accessible town centre location and support the use of sustainable modes of transport. 6.346 The site is currently in NHS ownership, and while plans are emerging, it is envisaged that the site could provide some office and healthcare facilities, as well as NHS key workers housing, subject to further flood risk assessment. 6.347 Parts of the site are potentially at high risk of surface water flooding and fluvial flooding from the river Wye. There are also known risks of flooding of subsurface assets due to groundwater flood risk, and reservoir flood risk. Any redevelopment of the site will need to demonstrate safe access, and egress is achievable throughout the lifetime of the development, as per the latest SFRA. Developers will need to provide a site-specific combined (1D-2D) hydraulic model to demonstrate this. Any modelling needs to be completed to the satisfaction of the EA and LLFA before applying.