Little Marlow Lakes

NE15: Little Marlow Lakes 1. As shown on the Policies Map, the Little Marlow Lakes area is allocated for a) Suitable Alternative Natural Greenspace at Spade Oak Lake and b) wider outdoor recreational uses Spade Oak Lake SANG 2. Within the Little Marlow Lakes allocation, Spade Oak Lake is allocated as a strategic Suitable Alternative Natural Greenspace to mitigate adverse effects on the Burnham Beeches Special Area of Conservation from qualifying development within the defined Zone of Influence. Development that comes forward in the SANG will be consistent with the Little Marlow, Spade Oak Lake SANG Management Plan (December 2024 as amended). The SANG should be fully 18 Their ambition is to fund the creation of the new Visitor Gateways through a combination of financial reserves, commercial loans and SANG contributions from new developments. open and accessible, with all capital works completed, prior to any occupation of housing allocated to it. 3. Development should not preclude future proposals for enhanced visitor experience at the area, such as a café and toilet facilities. 4. Measures should be taken to reduce odour and water pollution and contribute to the long-term management of the area. 5. Parking facilities should be provided on and adjacent the restored Gravel Yard accessed from Muschallick Road. 6. All qualifying development will be expected to make financial contributions towards the SANG where it is seeking to rely on the SANG for mitigation, unless it can be demonstrated that the development would not result in any adverse impact on the SAC either alone or in combination with other development. 7. Any residential development relying on this SANG as mitigation will be required to provide safe, convenient and direct access to Marlow and Bourne End for pedestrians, cyclists, and disabled and other users of this area to help connect Marlow to Bourne End. Little Marlow Lakes 8. Development within the Little Marlow Lakes area should not have an adverse effect upon the amenities or setting of the River Thames, watercourses, flood risk, lakes, wet woodlands, adjoining conservation areas, or listed buildings, or which prejudices the function of the area for which it is allocated. 9. Any development will be required to provide safe, convenient and direct access to Marlow and Bourne End where possible for pedestrians, cyclists, wheeling and other users, to help connect Marlow to Bourne End. 10. Any development close to an existing waterbody or other wetland feature should protect and enhance that feature’s ecological value, biodiversity, hydrology, water quality, and its natural setting within the area. 7.246 The Little Marlow Lakes area occupies an area of 329 ha between the A4155 Bourne End and Wooburn to Marlow Road and the River Thames and between the A404 and Coldmoorholme Lane. The area is in the Green Belt, and adjacent to the Chilterns National Landscape and the River Thames. The proposed strategic SANG at Spade Oak Lake forms only a small part of the 329 hectares. Figure 33: Map Showing Spade Oak SANG Boundary and Little Marlow Lakes Boundary 7.247 The area includes several former gravel pits (restored as lakes, meadows or arable land) and several areas of woodland, including ecologically valuable wet woodland habitat. There is athletics track with part of a cycleway and a water sports site. In late 2025, planning permission was granted on appeal in the northwestern part of the site for a major development of Marlow Film Studios, around 170,000sqm over twenty-three hectares. The Little Marlow Lakes Area policy does not cover the built-up area of Little Marlow village. 7.248 It has the main purpose of providing and improving opportunities for the enjoyment of the countryside by the public. The area is used for a variety of formal and informal recreational and sporting uses and is crossed by several public footpaths including an extensive network of circular routes of varying length with increasing use by the public, including disabled users. The wider lakes area is used for fishing, water sports, open-water swimming, camping and outdoor exploration activities. 7.249 Part of Little Marlow Lakes, known as the Spade Oak Lake area, presents an opportunity to deliver an alternative destination to Burnham Beeches in the south-east of Buckinghamshire, in the form of a strategic Suitable Alternative Natural Greenspace (SANG). Burnham Beeches is a Special Area of Conservation, and a large part of the SAC is also designated as a National Nature Reserve, open to the public. This presents a need to balance a role for biodiversity, and its role in providing for outdoor recreation and public enjoyment of nature. Providing a SANG destination with improvements at Spade Oak Lake area provides an opportunity to offset visitor pressures on Burnham Beeches (see policies NE12 and NE13) within the SANG catchment. The Council is in process of designating a Country Park on the Spade Oak Lake SANG area and intends this to be known as ‘Little Marlow Lakes Country Park’ defined by the Countryside Act 1968. This means the area can provide or improve opportunities for the enjoyment of the countryside by the public. 7.250 On the Spade Oak Lake SANG area, the mitigation management plan provides for publicly accessible open space, ecological and biodiversity enhancements. In March 2026, the council made a resolution to grant planning permission for the SANG subject to completion of an updated Mitigation and Management Plan and a signed Memorandum of Understanding. On this site there are opportunities in the future for further enhancements that may take place to support the enjoyment of the SANG and new country park. These can include a cafe and associated facilities, public toilets, a play area, additional parking and storage facilities. These facilities must be consistent with the Green Belt and SANG and have no adverse harmful effect on the ecological value of the site. 7.251 The Little Marlow Lakes area lies within the Green Belt. Development opportunities must preserve the openness of the Green Belt. 7.252 There are also important nature conservation interests in the area, and it contains an extensive area of open water. The former gravel pits, now waterbodies, are important in biodiversity terms, particularly for wintering and breeding birds. The Buckinghamshire and Milton Keynes Local Nature Recovery Strategy is recognising most of the Little Marlow Lakes area as an Area that Could Become Important for biodiversity. This must be considered in all development proposals to deliver a biodiversity net gain. 7.253 The potential may exist for additional comprehensively planned outdoor recreation and tourism uses as the area develops. There may be scope for such development on the western side of the site, to the west of the Crowne Plaza hotel. 7.254 The site contains critical drainage areas; as a result, any flood risks presented by surface water and groundwater flooding should be assessed and mitigated for in accordance with Policy development should reflect the open nature of the site and the long-distance views of and over the site from the National Landscape, from Winter Hill, and vantage points from footpaths across the river. Development should not propose the raising of land within the Flood Zones, including the floodplain of Main Rivers. Where this is unavoidable and necessary, appropriate compensatory measures will be required, in consultation with the Environment Agency 7.256 Care should be taken to give space for ‘spring points’ of groundwater or ‘natural springs’, where there has been historical records or evidence of them in the area. Recreational spaces developed for sporting purposes should also consider the impact on infiltration of rainwater into the ground. The low-lying areas are susceptible to groundwater emergence. 7.257 Development must also respect and enhance the setting and amenities of both the Little Marlow Conservation Area, which is washed over by the site, and the Abbotsbrook Conservation Area, which lies to the east. Development must also have regard to the listed buildings in those Areas; their settings and other buildings of interest identified in the Conservation Area documents. The setting and amenities of the River Thames must also be preserved and policies for the landscape and river protection will apply. Areas of existing or potential wildlife habitat should be maintained and enhanced. 7.258 Development proposals must also have regard to the ground conditions and land stability due to mineral extraction and landfill activities in the area. Proposals for development may need to be accompanied by reports to show the suitability of the land for the purpose intended and to assess and/or manage the presence of migrating landfill gas or other sources of pollution. 7.259 Development should also provide the opportunity to create new means of access to the site for walkers, cyclists, and disabled users, and links to the wider highway network. 7.260 Development is required to enable the creation of pedestrian and cycle access on the east side of the area to secure easy access to residents of Bourne End. This could take the pressure off the Thames Path which has significant visitor pressure at times of the year. Any active travel scheme in proximity to Spade Oak needs to take account of the Little Marlow-Spade Oak Lake SANG Management Plan. 7.261 Further infrastructure improvements to the area include the wider delivery of green infrastructure in this part of Buckinghamshire and include flood risk management measures (e.g. Natural Flood Management projects). Transport infrastructure could also include walking, wheeling and cycling opportunities through the delivery of inter-settlement corridor improvements between Marlow and Bourne End. 7.262 Car parking facilities are to be provided at the restored Spade Oak Lake Gravel Yard, accessed from the A4155 and Muschallick Road in accordance with the Little Marlow Spade Oak Lake SANG Management Plan 2024. This will encourage visitors to the site from Wooburn, Bourne End, and the wider area. There is some limited parking at the running track to the west. Development should also consider the opportunity for a new rail halt which could improve overall accessibility both for the formal and informal recreational potential of the area.