Healthy communities and tackling health inequalities

SP16 – Healthy communities and tackling health inequalities This strategic policy is supporting Local Plan objectives 3, 4, 5, 6 and 8. SP16: Healthy communities and tackling health inequalities 1. All development should support the physical and mental health and wellbeing of Buckinghamshire residents and reduce health inequalities by providing access to physical, social and economic environments that: a) Promote and facilitate active and healthy lives across the lifespan for those who live and work in Buckinghamshire. b) Create safe and accessible places that promote health, social interaction and community cohesion. c) Are equitable and inclusive to meet the needs of residents, including vulnerable groups, through well-designed places. d) Provide residents with quality new and affordable homes that protect residents from harmful exposures e.g. damp, pollution indoors and provide living conditions and amenities that support good physical and mental health. e) Support local access to services and facilities to support daily life. f) Enable people to remain in their homes for longer and supporting vulnerable residents to live independently or in specialist housing. g) Provide access to affordable healthy food, promote healthier food choices and support land use for food growing and production. h) Promote access to public green and open spaces, sports facilities, play and recreation opportunities. i) Prevent unacceptable adverse effects on residential quality of life and public safety due to pollution, such as light, noise and poor air quality and extreme weather events such as flooding, excess heat and cold. j) Promote active travel through high quality public transport, walking, cycling and wheeling networks underpinned by accessibility, connectivity and ease of movement. k) Provide equitable access to good employment opportunities, education and digital connectivity; and l) Create attractive, vibrant and accessible town centres and retail spaces that promote mixed use and support healthy lifestyles. 5.207 The Health and Social Care Act 2012[i] places a legal duty on local authorities to reduce health inequalities, encouraging planners to consider how housing, transport, and access to services affect vulnerable populations. The Act encourages health-led local planning; requires councils to consider health inequalities in service delivery; supports collaboration between planners and health professionals; and makes Directors of Public Health key advisors in planning decisions. 5.208 Buckinghamshire is one of the least deprived local authorities in England, ranking as 141 st out of 153. However, levels of deprivation vary within the county, with pockets of income deprivation concentrated in Aylesbury, High Wycombe, Burnham, Chesham, and Denham. Some more rural areas, particularly in the north of Buckinghamshire, also have relatively high levels of deprivation which is likely to be influenced by barriers to the built and natural environment including access to services, limited public transport and reduced connectivity to employment and education opportunities. 5.209 The built and natural environment is an important determinant of our residents’ and visitors’ health and wellbeing. The NPPF (2024) highlights the role of the planning system in supporting health and wellbeing in creating healthy, inclusive and safe places that promote social interaction, are accessible, and that enable and support healthy living through creating opportunities for healthy choices that reduce health inequalities. Health inequalities are unfair and avoidable differences in health across the population and between groups within society. They arise because the conditions in which people are born, grow-up, live, work and age shape their opportunities for good health and influence behaviour outcomes, including both physical and mental wellbeing. 5.210 The wider determinants of health, or the ‘building blocks of health’, are the social, economic and environmental factors that shape everyday living conditions including the quality of the built and natural environment, housing, education, employment and income, community safety and social connections. Evidence indicates that strengthening these building blocks improves mental and physical health, overall health outcomes and reduces inequality. 5.211 Planning policies can play a role in addressing these determinants of health across the life course and may contribute to reducing health inequalities, improving population health and ensuring sustainability of services, priorities of the Joint Local HWBS – 2035. It seeks to address physical inactivity, harm from alcohol, smoking and poor diets to improve population health. Underpinning this, Buckinghamshire’s Joint Strategic Needs Assessment (JSNA) provides the evidence base for understanding current and future health, care and wellbeing needs, including the needs of an ageing population and the nature and distribution of health inequalities across the county. 5.212 Buckinghamshire’s population experiences better health and wellbeing compared to other areas in England; however, this is not shared equally by residents across the county. Significantly poorer health outcomes are experienced by vulnerable groups and people living in income deprivation. Preventable diseases are the main cause of premature death in Buckinghamshire with diet, physical activity, smoking and alcohol, the primary modifiable risk factors contributing to poor health (Buckinghamshire’s JSNA). These impacts are typically more pronounced in areas of deprivation. 5.213 Vulnerable groups may also experience poorer health and wellbeing outcomes and are more likely to be affected by health inequalities. These groups can include but are not limited to older adults; children and young people; ethnic minorities; people with disabilities; people with mental health issues; people living in areas of deprivation; or those who can be socially marginalised (for example, traveller communities, people experiencing homelessness or substance abuse or people in contact with the criminal justice system). Considering the needs of vulnerable groups aligns with the Council’s priority to reduce health inequalities by ensuring people who may be at greater risk can access the living conditions, services and opportunities required for a healthy life. 5.214 Local plan policies and planning decisions should enable and support healthy lives, through promoting good health and preventing ill-health to reduce health inequalities between these different communities. This can be achieved through for example, the provision of stable and suitable housing, safe and accessible green infrastructure, sports facilities, local shops, access to healthier food, allotments and layouts that encourage walking and cycling. 5.215 A healthy place is described in the PPG as one which: a) Provides opportunities for the community to improve their physical and mental health. b) Supports community engagement and wellbeing. c) Meets the needs of children and young people; and d) Is adaptable to the needs of an increasingly elderly population and those with dementia and other sensory or mobility impairments. 5.216 This strategic policy supports national planning policy and guidance, and the council’s health, social, economic and environmental strategies including Buckinghamshire’s Strategic Vision for 2050, the Housing Strategy which addresses housing quality, including protection from ‘harmful exposures’ such as poor air quality, overheating and damp, the Physical Activity Strategy, the Healthy Ageing Strategy and the Local Transport Plan. It also aligns with Buckinghamshire’s six key healthy planning themes: neighbourhoods, healthy homes and buildings, healthy food environment, natural and sustainable environments, transport and movement and healthy economy. a) Healthy neighbourhoods – safe and welcoming places where it is easy to be active, to walk, wheel or cycle, to access services for daily living, and to build social connections and a sense of belonging. b) Healthy homes and buildings – housing that is affordable and secure, supports good physical and mental health, and meets changing needs across the life course, including access to specialist and accessible housing where required. c) Healthy food environments – places that support healthier choices by making nutritious food and drink accessible, affordable and convenient, and by shaping local food environments in ways that reduce risks associated with poor diet and unhealthy weight. d) Natural and sustainable environments – clean air and reduced exposure to noise and light pollution, with accessible green and blue spaces that support recreation, play, mental wellbeing and climate resilience. e) Transport and movement – safe, accessible and connected networks that make walking, wheeling, cycling and public transport practical for everyday journeys, improving access to jobs, education, healthcare and green space while reducing injuries and pollution. f) A healthy economy – secure and paid work, education and skills, and digital connectivity that support living standards and a strong economy with businesses and retail spaces providing the working conditions and goods and services that contribute to good health. [i] UK Government (2012). Health and Social Care Act 2012. [online] Available at: link [Accessed 21 May 2026].