Design & placemaking

The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This section explains how the Local Plan is used in decision-making. It forms part of the statutory development plan, so planning applications are decided in line with it unless other important factors point the other way. It sits alongside neighbourhood plans, minerals and waste policies and other Council strategies. Applications are judged against all relevant policies together, not one in isolation, and the Buckinghamshire Design Code and Parking Standards also apply. A Policies Map supports the Plan.

The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This section introduces the South Warwickshire Local Plan, prepared jointly by Stratford-on-Avon and Warwick District Councils to guide where and how new homes, jobs and infrastructure are built up to 2050. It describes an area of 488 square miles, mostly open countryside, containing towns such as Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwick and Royal Leamington Spa. Nearly a third of the area lies in the West Midlands Green Belt and 8% falls within the Cotswolds National Landscape. The area is a gateway to the West Midlands, with its strongest links to Coventry.

The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This section covers population and communities. Buckinghamshire has around 553,000 people, up 9.5% since 2011, which is faster than the 6.6% growth for England. Aylesbury and High Wycombe are the main urban centres, supported by market towns such as Amersham, Buckingham, Chesham and Marlow. The population is ageing, with residents aged 65 and over up 23.2% between 2011 and 2021. Life expectancy in the most deprived areas is about 5.4 years lower than in wealthier areas.

The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This section covers the plan's supporting documents and how it will stay up to date. The plan should be read as a whole, and further Supplementary Plans, a separate Design Code and Technical Guidance will follow. Proposals and designations appear on a Policies Map that will be updated periodically. Delivery is tracked through monitoring indicators reported in each council's annual Authority Monitoring Report. The plan will be reviewed every five years from adoption to keep its strategy current.

The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This section covers the environment and landscape. About 32% of Buckinghamshire is Metropolitan Green Belt and around 27% lies within the Chilterns National Landscape. The county has around 180 conservation areas, close to 6,000 listed buildings, and nationally important chalk streams. It faces pressures from flood risk, rising temperatures, water supply and treatment constraints, and biodiversity loss. Balancing new development with protecting these assets is a major challenge for the Plan.

The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This section covers health and wellbeing. Buckinghamshire performs well on many health measures, but inequalities remain, with life expectancy in the most deprived areas about 5.4 years lower than in the least deprived. The design and accessibility of places, and access to green space, services and sustainable transport, all influence health. The Plan aims to support healthy, inclusive communities through well-designed places, supported by the Buckinghamshire Design Code.

The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This section sets out Objective 4, on quality of place. It aims to create welcoming, safe and accessible places, with high-quality design that reflects Buckinghamshire's character, neighbourhoods with local services, well-integrated parking and vibrant public spaces. Although the county is generally prosperous, it contains some of the most deprived wards in the country in Aylesbury and High Wycombe. Regeneration strategies for Aylesbury, High Wycombe and Chesham, and the Buckinghamshire Design Code, support this objective.

The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This policy supports town centre regeneration, particularly in Aylesbury, Chesham and High Wycombe, by directing development to brownfield sites within town centres. Proposals on key sites must take a comprehensive, design-led approach that supports the Buckinghamshire Regeneration Framework, provides business space, delivers high-quality public realm and enhances heritage. Losing or reconfiguring public car parks requires evidence of parking demand and suitable alternatives. Proposals for main town centre uses outside defined centres must pass a sequential test, which checks town centre sites first.

The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This section lists the full set of mixed-use, leisure, community and town centre allocations under Policy DS.6. They include Tachbrook Country Park, 62 hectares safeguarded at the University of Warwick Main Campus, Local Green Spaces at Meon Vale, and town centre sites in Leamington Spa including Chandos Street. In Stratford-upon-Avon, the 2.04 hectare Gateway site is earmarked for a mixed-use scheme including a new World Shakespeare Museum, alongside the Rother Quarter. Other entries cover a new village centre for Studley, and Warwick sites including Myton Community Stadium and St Mary's Lands.

The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This policy supports low-carbon development and asks applicants to follow an energy hierarchy: cut energy demand first, supply energy efficiently, then use renewable sources. Schemes of 100 or more homes (50 or more in off-gas areas) and non-residential buildings of 1,000 sqm or more should assess district heating. Opportunity areas for wind, solar and battery storage are mapped, with tests on landscape, wildlife, heritage, amenity and road safety. It notes the Future Homes Standard from March 2027, cutting new homes' carbon emissions by around 75 to 80%.

The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This section explains the purpose of the community facilities policy: making sure communities can reach the services, facilities and social infrastructure they need. It describes how the policy will be delivered through the detailed Chapter 7 rules on infrastructure delivery, health impact assessment, community, sport and leisure facilities, food growing and fast food outlets, alongside wider policies on design, transport, biodiversity and flooding, so facilities are accessible and support healthy, inclusive communities.

The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This section explains the purpose of the placemaking policy: securing high-quality, sustainable development that responds to Buckinghamshire's character, heritage and landscape. It describes how delivery will work through the detailed Chapter 7 policies on design, residential amenity and space standards, together with wider rules on heritage, community facilities, transport, biodiversity, landscape and flooding, so new places are attractive, healthy, well connected and resilient.

The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This policy requires all development to achieve a high standard of design and placemaking, contributing positively to the character of Buckinghamshire's towns, villages and landscapes. Schemes should be shaped by design codes and masterplans, respond to local context and use land efficiently. Strategic developments must follow the Buckinghamshire Design Code and deliver high-quality public spaces. Development affecting the Chilterns National Landscape must be landscape-led, and schemes that fail to achieve good design will not be supported.

The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This section explains the purpose of the heritage policy: conserving and enhancing Buckinghamshire's historic environment as an irreplaceable resource that supports local character and identity. It sets out how delivery will run through the detailed Chapter 7 policies on conservation areas, heritage assets and design, alongside wider rules on amenity, transport, biodiversity, landscape and flooding, so historic buildings and places are protected as part of sustainable growth.

The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This policy supports proposals that conserve and enhance heritage assets and their settings, including historic landscapes, parks and gardens, and encourages the sensitive reuse of buildings at risk. Applicants must submit a Heritage Statement describing the significance of any assets affected, and show that harm has been avoided or minimised. The supporting text highlights Buckinghamshire's heritage, from Waddesdon Manor and the Chilterns to Bletchley Park and Roald Dahl country, and explains the Local Heritage List protecting locally valued buildings and places.

The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This section explains the purpose of the healthy communities policy: promoting healthy, inclusive and safe places and helping to reduce health inequalities across Buckinghamshire. It describes how delivery will work through the detailed Chapter 7 policies on health impact assessment, community and sports facilities, food growing and fast food outlets, plus wider rules on design, transport, green infrastructure and environmental quality.

The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This allocation covers a 529.7-hectare site north of Aylesbury for around 9,080 homes, with 3,650 delivered in the plan period, plus 15 Gypsy and Traveller pitches and 3,500 sqm of town centre uses. It requires four primary schools, a secondary school, healthcare facilities and the Northeast Aylesbury Link Road connecting the A413 and A418. Development must avoid the highest flood risk areas near the River Thame, keep green gaps to prevent merging with Bierton, and follow a site-wide masterplan and phasing strategy.

The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This section details all eight Major Investment Sites under Policy DS.10. They are the Gaydon automotive hub, the Long Marston Rail Innovation Centre, land south of Coventry including the former Coventry Airport, where a gigafactory or wider advanced manufacturing is planned alongside a 90 hectare country park at Gateway South, Stoneleigh Park with around 5.4 hectares of extra employment land, 62 hectares at the University of Warwick Main Campus, the university's Wellesbourne Campus, Wellesbourne Airfield, where up to 65 hectares of employment land depends on relocating the runway, and Fen End for automotive and motorsport uses.

The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This allocation sets out a 342.1-hectare site next to Cheddington, near Leighton Buzzard, for a minimum of 5,090 homes, with 3,650 expected in the plan period, plus 12 Gypsy and Traveller pitches and 3,500 sqm of town centre uses. Requirements include three primary schools, a secondary school, the Horton Bypass and a new railway bridge at Station Road. Development must protect the setting of Mentmore Towers and the Grand Union Canal, reuse the former railway line as a green corridor, and follow a site-wide masterplan.

The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This allocation covers a 293.6-hectare site adjoining Haddenham for a minimum of 6,610 homes, with around 3,545 in the plan period, plus 7 Gypsy and Traveller pitches and 3,500 sqm of town centre uses. It requires three primary schools, a secondary school, improved access to Haddenham and Thame Parkway station and better bus services. Development must integrate Snakemoor Nature Reserve, protect Haddenham Conservation Area, and manage odour and other impacts from the nearby wastewater treatment works. A site-wide masterplan is required.

The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This policy supports certain types of housing in the countryside, outside allocated sites and settlement boundaries. It allows rural exception affordable housing led by local communities, small self-build and custom-build schemes, and conversions of redundant brick or stone buildings that are listed or of historic merit. It also supports replacement dwellings, homes tied to agricultural or rural businesses where a functional need is proven, small expansions of existing mobile home and Traveller sites, and new single homes of exceptional quality and design.

The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This allocation sets out a 217.5-hectare site south-west of Buckingham for a minimum of 4,700 homes, with around 2,235 in the plan period, plus 10 Gypsy and Traveller pitches, about 1.7 hectares of employment land and around 2,000 sqm of town centre uses. It requires three primary schools, a secondary school and the Buckingham South Spine Road linking the A413 to the A421. Development must protect the setting of Gawcott Conservation Area with a green buffer, manage flood risk around the River Great Ouse and Padbury Brook, and follow a site-wide masterplan.

The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This section sets out the full policy and reasoning for protecting the Cotswolds National Landscape. Proposals must follow the area's Management Plan, avoid cumulative harm, stay proportionate in scale, and in exceptional cases show public benefits outweigh harm. Schemes within the 3km buffer must consult the National Landscape Board. The area, formerly the Cotswolds Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, covers 8.2% of South Warwickshire. Councils have a legal duty to seek to further its conservation, and national policy gives great weight to protecting it.

The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This policy protects five Special Landscape Areas: Arden, Cotswold Fringe, Feldon Parkland, Ironstone Hills Fringe, and River Leam and Surrounds. These are locally designated areas of high landscape quality shown on the Policies Map. Development that would harm their distinctive character and appearance, including their historic and cultural features, will be resisted. The cumulative effect of several developments will be considered, and schemes in settlements within these areas must respect how the settlement historically sits in the landscape.

The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This section explains why Special Landscape Areas are designated. National policy supports protecting the natural landscape, and these designations protect the best countryside outside the Cotswolds National Landscape. The five areas were identified through a landscape study and represent particularly high quality countryside at a district level. The section notes that all landscapes matter, but labelling the whole of South Warwickshire as special would undermine the point of picking out specific areas for their landscape and scenic quality.

The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This section introduces policies on protecting the character of South Warwickshire. It warns that growth pressure and gradual, incremental change are eroding landscape character and local distinctiveness. New development must therefore conserve and enhance landscape qualities, support green infrastructure and nature recovery, and contribute to climate resilience and biodiversity. When assessing proposals, councils will look not only at direct effects but also at the cumulative impact of many changes over time.

The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This allocation covers a 177.2-hectare urban extension to Princes Risborough delivering up to 2,895 homes within the plan period, plus 11 Gypsy and Traveller pitches and a local centre with 300 to 400 sqm of shops and around 500 sqm of business space. A central requirement is the Princes Risborough Relief Road, a complete new alternative route to the A4010. The site must also provide two primary schools, contributions to secondary education, a green corridor along the Crowbrook, and keep a gap between the town and Longwick.

The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This policy requires development to protect, enhance and where appropriate restore landscape character. Schemes must respond to local Landscape Character Area descriptions, be landscape led from the earliest design stage, and guard against settlements merging together. A Landscape and Visual Impact Assessment is required for all major developments, sites over 0.5 hectares, or schemes affecting heritage settings. Harm to the landscape is only acceptable where it is unavoidable and outweighed by public benefits, and new planting must use native, locally characteristic species with long-term maintenance secured.

The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This section sets out the landscape character policy in full and its justification. Development must avoid visually intrusive locations, protect openness, tranquillity and rural character, and show that alternative sites and designs were considered. Assessments must follow Landscape Institute guidance and cover cumulative, seasonal and night-time effects. The reasoning is that landscape-led design, informed by the Landscape Character Assessment, prevents harm from the outset rather than relying on mitigation added later, with requirements scaled to the sensitivity of each location.

The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This policy protects the gaps between settlements so that towns and villages keep their separate identities. Development that would erode a gap's function will be refused unless no reasonable alternative site exists outside it. Schemes must preserve openness and the sense of leaving one place before entering another, avoid urbanising features such as lighting and access roads, and be assessed alongside other development for cumulative effects. It also designates Areas of Restraint, shown on the Policies Map, where the open character of land must not be harmed.