Westcott

The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This section describes the county's economy. Buckinghamshire generates about £19.2 billion in economic output and supports around 285,000 jobs across more than 31,000 businesses, around 98% of them small and medium-sized. Key clusters include high-performance engineering at Silverstone, the Westcott space cluster, life sciences and the film and media cluster at Pinewood. Productivity growth has weakened, and around 12.6% of residents commute to work in London. The Plan aims to support investment, innovation and better local jobs.

The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This policy sets the strategy for economic growth. The Plan must allocate at least 219 hectares of employment land to 2045, and after committed sites are counted, about 147 hectares of additional land is allocated. Major locations include expansion at Westcott Venture Park and new employment land at the Winslow, Buckingham and Turweston new settlements, plus town centre sites in Aylesbury and High Wycombe. Research and development floorspace is strongly supported, and no new employment development is allowed in the highest flood risk zone (Flood Zone 3b).

The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This allocation designates Westcott Enterprise Zone and Venture Park, a 268 hectare Strategic Employment Area expected to deliver approximately 65 hectares of employment land for research, industrial and distribution uses. Westcott is a nationally important centre for space, robotics, drones and advanced engineering, home to around ninety businesses. The policy takes a flexible approach, allowing supporting facilities and limited, time-restricted worker accommodation where needed for the site to function, but housing must stay subordinate to the employment role. Proposals must also improve sustainable travel links to Aylesbury, Bicester and the wider area.

The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This policy protects Buckinghamshire's strategic and key employment sites, listed in Appendix L, which include the three Enterprise Zones and Pinewood Studios. Regeneration, improvement and intensification for employment use will be supported where proposals link strongly to the Buckinghamshire Economic Growth Plan and its key sectors: life sciences, space, robotics and drones, advanced manufacturing and creative industries. The sites are protected for employment use and their loss to non-employment uses will be resisted. Complementary uses such as shared training facilities and staff amenities are also supported.