The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This section describes how the Plan is organised. Chapters cover the introduction, the national and strategic context, a spatial portrait of the county, the vision and objectives, the spatial strategy and strategic policies, site allocations, and detailed development management policies. Appendices include the monitoring framework, housing and employment trajectories, the Buckinghamshire Design Code, parking standards and the Policies Map. Together these parts form one framework for shaping growth to 2045.
Jobs & economy
Employment land, offices, industry, warehousing, rural businesses, tourism and skills.
96 sections of the plan, in document order.
The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This section describes the stage the Plan has reached. It is at the Regulation 19 stage of the formal plan-making process. Early engagement ran from 2021 to 2022, followed by consultation on the vision and objectives in 2023 and several Call for Sites exercises. Regulation 18 consultation on the draft plan took place in September and October 2025, with Regulation 19 consultation between July and September 2026. The Plan was submitted for independent examination in December 2026.
The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This section explains the national and strategic context for the Plan. It has been prepared under the December 2024 National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF), which requires plans to cover at least 15 years and to balance economic, social and environmental aims. Using the Government's standard method, Buckinghamshire's housing need is 4,344 homes a year, or about 91,230 homes over the plan period to 2045. The Council has worked with neighbouring authorities on cross-boundary issues and aligned the Plan with the Local Transport Plan.
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 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 section presents the plan's vision for 2050 and its ten strategic objectives. The objectives act as a golden thread running through the plan. They cover timely infrastructure, homes for all communities, jobs and a greener economy, effective use of land, net zero carbon, well-designed places, heritage and culture, health and wellbeing, better connections through walking, cycling and public transport, and protecting environmental assets while working towards environmental net gain.
The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This section calculates how much development South Warwickshire needs. For employment, 321.1 hectares of non-strategic land and 225 hectares of strategic land are needed; after existing commitments, 233.7 and 125 hectares remain to be found. The Government's standard method sets housing need at 2,197 homes a year, or 54,925 over the 25-year plan period from 2025 to 2050, with 44,980 still to find after commitments. The plan must also provide 129 Gypsy and Traveller pitches and 20 Travelling Showpeople plots.
The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This section sets out the Plan's vision for Buckinghamshire in 2045. It describes a county that has kept its rural character, protected the Chilterns National Landscape and made the most of brownfield land (previously developed land). New communities are healthy, well designed and served by the right infrastructure, with housing for different groups including key workers. The economy has grown in creative industries, space and high-performance technology, town centres have been revitalised, and green spaces, biodiversity and sustainable travel have been strengthened.
The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This section considers development needs arising outside South Warwickshire. National policy requires councils to cooperate with neighbours on needs that cannot be met locally. There is no housing shortfall from the Coventry and Warwickshire Housing Market Area, and a shortfall from the Birmingham, Black Country and Solihull area has not been confirmed. The plan overprovides employment land against local need, which could help meet unmet needs from Coventry. Future cross-boundary needs will be explored through the West Midlands Spatial Development Strategy.
The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This section explains the overall Development Strategy, which directs large-scale growth to the most sustainable locations. Seven spatial options were narrowed through consultation to a hybrid strategy based on sustainable travel and the economy, and three priority areas were mapped using proximity to urban land, rail and bus stops, jobs and community needs. Growth broadly follows the A46 corridor and is focused on a small number of strategic sites and new settlements. Because many sustainable locations sit in the Green Belt, the plan carefully releases some Green Belt land.
The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This section sets out Objective 6, on infrastructure. It aims to provide the right infrastructure in the right place at the right time, including transport, schools, healthcare, utilities and green spaces. Evidence shows some services, such as healthcare and special educational needs provision, are already stretched. Of 73 wastewater treatment works serving the county, 41 are likely to be close to or over their permits by 2045. A Settlement Review places settlements into five tiers, with Aylesbury and High Wycombe in the top tier.
The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This section sets out Objective 7, on new jobs. It aims to grow and diversify the economy by providing the right employment opportunities in the right places, supporting sectors such as high-performance technology, space, film, life sciences and medical technology. Evidence indicates a need for around 100 hectares of employment land over the plan period, much of it for industrial and warehousing space. The Plan protects existing employment areas and supports new sites in sustainable locations.
The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This policy commits the plan to providing at least 225 hectares of strategic and 321 hectares of non-strategic employment land up to 2050. Strategic allocations plus existing commitments give a total supply of 278 hectares, 53 hectares above the identified need. Non-strategic supply totals 345.6 hectares against a need of 321.1 hectares, split between Stratford-on-Avon (199.9 hectares needed) and Warwick (121.2 hectares needed).
The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This section sets out the full policy and justification for meeting development needs to 2050. Provision is made for a minimum of 54,925 homes between 2025 and 2050, with a total identified supply of 57,610, a headroom of about 4.9%. It also provides 129 Gypsy and Traveller pitches, 20 Travelling Showpeople plots and 35 boat dweller moorings. Each district will maintain its own five-year housing land supply, based on 1,112 homes a year in Stratford-on-Avon and 1,085 in Warwick, with detailed year-by-year delivery trajectories for every allocated site.
The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This section explains Buckinghamshire's housing need and how land will be provided. The Local Housing Needs Assessment (2026) identifies a need of 4,344 homes a year, or 91,230 homes over the 21-year plan period from 2024 to 2045, a 38% increase in the county's housing stock. Just over 21,500 homes are already committed through existing plans and permissions, leaving around 70,000 new homes still to be found. National policy also requires a five-year supply of deliverable housing sites.
The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This section explains the purpose of the strategy for economic growth. It aims to support a resilient, sustainable and competitive economy by ensuring enough land is available in the right locations to meet employment needs. It seeks to grow high-value, high-productivity sectors by identifying and protecting well-connected strategic employment sites, in line with the Buckinghamshire Economic Growth Plan, and to support the regeneration of town centres as economic hubs.
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 section introduces the Local Growth Locations policies, which allocate smaller sites to meet local needs by 2050. Policy DS.5 covers employment, Policy DS.6 covers mixed-use, leisure, community and town centre sites, and Policy DS.7 covers housing. The allocations include new sites chosen through the plan's spatial strategy as well as sites carried over from previous local and neighbourhood plans. A consolidated list of allocations by settlement appears in Appendix 2.
The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This policy allocates new local employment sites. It provides 11 hectares at Bidford-on-Avon East and North for industrial, storage and office uses, 3.3 hectares at Henley Golf Club in Henley-in-Arden for a research and innovation campus, and 3 hectares at Paradise, Lighthorne Heath for the specific expansion needs of Aston Martin Lagonda. Each site must integrate with the wider masterplan for its area, and the Lighthorne Heath site can only come forward after an earlier 4.5 hectare allocation is developed.
The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This section repeats the table of new employment allocations under Policy DS.5. It covers 11 hectares at Bidford-on-Avon East and North for industrial, storage and office uses, 3.3 hectares at Henley Golf Club, Henley-in-Arden for a research and innovation campus, and 3 hectares at Paradise, Lighthorne Heath reserved for the expansion of Aston Martin Lagonda. Each site must fit with the wider masterplan for its settlement and follow the requirements of the related site proposals.
The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This policy sets out retail and leisure provision. It makes provision for 59,210 sqm of floorspace for retail, food and drink, and leisure and cultural uses by 2035. Needs are met first through sites already built or with permission, then by reducing town centre vacancy rates to 10%, which can provide at least 14,300 sqm, mainly in High Wycombe and Aylesbury. The Plan also allocates around 10,100 sqm of new retail space, and large development sites must provide local centres for day-to-day needs.
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 policy carries forward employment allocations from earlier plans. They include 4.5 hectares at Gaydon and Lighthorne Heath for Aston Martin Lagonda's expansion, land at Thickthorn in Kenilworth, 8 hectares at the Long Marston New Settlement, 1.58 hectares west of Banbury Road in Southam, and a 25 hectare employment site south of Alcester Road, Stratford-upon-Avon. The Stratford site requires a new roundabout onto the A46 at Drayton Manor Drive and a wildlife and nature area.
The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This section repeats the carried-forward employment allocations under Policy DS.5, covering sites at Gaydon and Lighthorne Heath, Thickthorn in Kenilworth, Long Marston, Southam and south of Alcester Road in Stratford-upon-Avon. It adds 19 hectares at Atherstone Airfield near Stratford-upon-Avon, where development must provide suitable access and active travel links, protect important views of the Registered Park and Garden and nearby listed buildings, enhance ecology and include boundary landscaping, supported by a detailed transport assessment.
The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This policy supports Aylesbury as Buckinghamshire's principal town centre, identified as a sub-regional centre for development, regeneration and investment. Proposals should deliver a balanced mix of retail, leisure, culture, employment, community and residential uses, make efficient use of underused sites, contribute financially to improving Aylesbury Bus Station capacity, and protect heritage including the historic core and Market Square. Key opportunity areas include Friars Square, Hale Leys, the old and new County Offices, Waterside North and the Exchange Street car park.
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 the regeneration of High Wycombe town centre as a major economic, cultural and transport hub. Development should strengthen the town's role as a competitive regional centre, deliver a diverse mix of uses, intensify underused or vacant sites, conserve heritage including the historic High Street, and prioritise walking, cycling and public transport, with better access to the railway station. Key opportunity areas include the Western and Eastern quarters, Cressex Industrial Estate and Cressex Island, and the Riverside and Rye Park corridor.
The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This policy supports the regeneration of Chesham town centre as a local hub for independent and creative retail, urban living and community activity. Development should deliver a mix of uses, intensify underused sites, conserve heritage including the historic High Street, maintain the attractive traffic-free high street, improve access to Chesham Underground station, and strengthen links to Lowndes Park. Key opportunity areas include Star Yard Car Park, UK House and sites adjoining the town centre.
The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This policy aims to make sure transport, telecoms, utilities and waste infrastructure is delivered to support planned growth. Priorities include a transport network that puts walking, cycling and public transport first, gigabit-capable broadband, water and energy networks, and waste facilities that support a circular economy. Developments must show there is enough infrastructure capacity, be phased so infrastructure arrives alongside or before homes, and avoid unacceptable knock-on effects. Land needed for strategic routes and networks will be protected from other development.
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.