Green Belt & countryside

The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This section explains what the Buckinghamshire Local Plan is. It sets the long-term strategy for managing growth and development across the county to 2045, covering new homes, jobs, infrastructure and community facilities. It also aims to protect valued places such as the Chilterns National Landscape and the Green Belt. The Plan follows national planning policy and replaces the policies in the former district local plans. It provides the basis for coordinating investment in transport, utilities, schools, healthcare and green spaces.

The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This section explains why a new Local Plan is needed. Buckinghamshire became a single unitary council in April 2020, and this is the first plan to cover the whole county under one framework. The old district plans are increasingly out of date, and national policy has changed. National policy identifies a housing need of about 4,344 homes a year up to the end of March 2045. The county must balance this growth with protecting assets such as the Chilterns National Landscape and the Green Belt.

The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This section describes Buckinghamshire's location and geography. The county covers about 604 square miles and sits within the Oxford-Cambridge Growth Corridor, linking London, Oxford, Milton Keynes and Cambridge. It is served by the M40, M25 and M4 motorways, national rail services and London Underground connections, and is close to Heathrow and Luton airports. These connections, together with the Green Belt and the Chilterns National Landscape, shape where development can go.

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 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 sets out Objective 1, on the natural and built environment. It aims to conserve and enhance Buckinghamshire's natural, historic and built environments and protect them from inappropriate development. This includes sustaining rural character, protecting the Chilterns National Landscape and Green Belt, improving water quality in rivers and rare chalk streams, and respecting heritage assets. The county has three Special Areas of Conservation, around 180 conservation areas and close to 6,000 listed buildings.

The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This section explains the purpose of the renewable energy policy: supporting the move to a low-carbon, climate-resilient future through energy efficiency, renewable energy generation and careful use of natural resources. It describes how delivery will be supported by the detailed Chapter 7 policies on matters such as water, flooding, biodiversity, landscape, Green Belt, design and heritage, so that renewable energy schemes are well located and protect Buckinghamshire's environment.

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 policy sets out how the Council will protect and improve the natural environment and respond to climate change. It commits to conserving the Chilterns National Landscape, delivering at least 10% biodiversity net gain on qualifying developments, and supporting nature recovery through the local strategy. It also covers protecting water quality, aiming for good status in rivers and groundwater by 2027, directing growth to places that reduce car travel, using sustainable drainage, adopting higher water efficiency standards, and supporting renewable energy.

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 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 allocation covers around seventy-nine hectares north of Martin Dalby Way on the edge of Aylesbury for an assumed 3,150 homes. It requires a local centre, a 3FE primary school, a community hall, healthcare provision and at least 50% multi-functional green infrastructure, plus a new linear park active travel route. Development must protect the Quarrendon Scheduled Monument immediately to the south, including its grazing regime, and be landscape-led given the site's open, elevated position. Flood modelling of Hardwick Brook and Weedon Ditch is required.

The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This allocation covers Gomm Valley and Ashwells in High Wycombe for an assumed 646 homes, 1.2 hectares of employment land and a one-form entry primary school. Development must be landscape-led and keep an undeveloped gap of at least 200 metres between High Wycombe and Tylers Green. The valley contains sensitive wildlife sites, including Gomm Valley SSSI, ancient woodland and chalk grassland, so buffers and a significant biodiversity net gain are required. A traffic-calmed spine road linking Cock Lane and Gomm Road is needed, and parts of the site already have planning permission.

The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This allocation covers Terriers Farm, a 24-hectare site on the northern edge of High Wycombe, for an assumed 410 homes, which already have planning permission subject to legal agreements. The site must include a sport and recreation hub extending Hazlemere Recreation Ground, helping keep the development physically separate from Hazlemere. Development should retain the main north-south hedgerow, field boundaries, the pond and a wildlife corridor towards King's Wood, and contribute financially to the new primary school planned at Gomm Valley. Road, junction, bus stop and footpath improvements are also required.

The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This allocation supports an assumed 100 homes at Abbey Barn North, High Wycombe, designed to fit the site's bowl-shaped, sloping landscape. Conventional houses with gardens are not considered appropriate; innovative homes set within the landscape are required instead. The plans require a buffer of at least 15 metres to Deangarden Wood, retention of chalk grassland, new footpaths, cycle and bridleway links, and contributions to road, bus and path improvements. A development brief has already been prepared for the site.

The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This allocation covers land at RAF Halton, an eighty-two hectare military base near Wendover due to close in 2030. It is allocated for an assumed 1,000 homes, a primary school and a new local centre reusing St George's Church. Half the site must be green infrastructure, with parkland, play space and links to Wendover Woods. Historic features, including the Registered Park and Garden and listed barracks, would be restored or converted. New roads, junction upgrades and mitigation for the Chilterns Beechwoods protected area are also required.

The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This allocation proposes an assumed 355 homes on 8.93 hectares north of Reynolds Mead, Cheddington. The site is close to the Mentmore Conservation Area and Registered Park and Garden, so a heritage assessment and careful design are required. A substantial buffer must protect the wood pasture priority habitat next to the northern boundary, and landscaping must soften views from the surrounding countryside. Contributions are required to shared infrastructure including the Horton Bypass and a new railway bridge, and protected area mitigation must be in place first.

The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This allocation creates a new Key Employment Area as a northern expansion of the Princes Estate, an established business area in Princes Risborough. It provides approximately 4 hectares of land for offices, industrial and storage uses, and housing is ruled out because it would undermine the employment role. Designs must limit visual impact on the Chilterns National Landscape, the Ridgeway National Trail and the Horsenden Conservation Area. Financial contributions are required towards walking and cycling links between Princes Risborough, Longwick and Chinnor.

The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This allocation designates approximately twelve hectares of land north of Lower Icknield Way, Princes Risborough, as a new Key Employment Area, of which 9.6 hectares is expected to be developed for business, industrial and storage uses. The site is visible from the Chilterns National Landscape and the Ridgeway National Trail, so high-quality design and structural landscaping are required, including new hedgerow planting. Access would come from Lower Icknield Way, with contributions towards the Princes Risborough to Chinnor walking and cycling route.

The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This allocation provides 2.6 hectares of employment land behind Stokenchurch Business Park, near Junction 5 of the M40, for light industrial, general industrial and storage uses. The site lies within the Chilterns National Landscape, so proposals must take a landscape-led approach backed by a Landscape and Visual Impact Assessment. Development must connect properly to the existing business park so it works as one employment area. Its proximity to the Aston Rowant protected area, about five hundred metres away, means further habitat assessment is required.

The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This allocation supports Marlow Film Studios at Little Marlow as a film, high-end television and media production complex within the West of London Screen Cluster. The site already has planning permission following an appeal decided by the Secretary of State. Development must include improvements to the Westhorpe interchange, a new pedestrian and cycle bridge across the A404, and links to Marlow station and Bourne End. As the site sits in the Metropolitan Green Belt, proposals must protect openness, heritage assets including the Little Marlow Conservation Area, and the setting of the Chilterns National Landscape.

The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This policy requires affordable housing on developments of 10 or more homes or sites of 0.5 hectares or more. The rate varies by area: a minimum of 40% in the South, East and West (brownfield sites in the West subject to viability evidence), and 25% in the North and Central areas, rising to 50% on land in or released from the Green Belt. The tenure mix should be at least 60% social rent, 20% affordable rent and 20% shared ownership. Affordable homes must be spread through a development, look indistinguishable from market homes, and normally be built on site.

The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This policy sets the requirements for data centre proposals. Applicants must show that enough electrical grid capacity can be secured, that electricity, digital connectivity and water needs can be met, and that noise, air quality and visual impacts are properly mitigated. Back-up generators should not use diesel, and sustainable heating and cooling should be used where feasible. In sensitive locations such as the Green Belt, applicants must show the development cannot go in a less sensitive place, and all proposals must evidence the need for the facility and its local economic benefits.

The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This policy supports rural diversification through the re-use and adaptation of existing rural buildings for employment uses, with new buildings only where re-use is not possible. Buildings must be of permanent and substantial construction, shown to be redundant or disused, and structurally suitable for conversion without major reconstruction. In the Chilterns National Landscape, extra conditions apply: the building must not have been erected within the last 10 years, and the new use must support the local rural community, economy or services.

The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This policy supports new or expanded tourism and visitor facilities within or next to existing settlements. Elsewhere, proposals must support the sustainable growth of existing facilities, involve converting or replacing existing buildings or support rural diversification, and be in an appropriate location that minimises environmental impacts. Seasonal structures such as marquees must be temporary and not harm the landscape. Existing tourism facilities cannot be lost unless replaced, shown to be no longer needed, or shown to be unviable after active marketing for 12 months. Buckinghamshire's tourism sector supports 2,125 businesses employing more than 21,000 people.

The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This policy requires development to conserve and enhance watercourses and their corridors, including their biodiversity, landscape, flood management and recreation value. Culverting or hard engineering of watercourses is not supported, and opportunities to restore rivers to a more natural state should be actively pursued. Development next to a watercourse must keep a natural buffer of at least 10 metres from the top of the bank, with no lighting, rising to at least 15 metres for chalk streams such as the River Chess and River Misbourne. Chalk streams are a globally rare habitat with stronger protection.

The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This policy protects wildlife species covered by international and national law, priority species listed under the Natural Environment and Rural Communities Act 2006, and species in significant decline. Where such species could be affected, proposals must be supported by proper ecological surveys and assessments by qualified professionals, carried out before permission is granted. Designs must follow the mitigation hierarchy of avoiding, minimising and compensating for impacts, with any residual impacts compensated at a minimum 2:1 basis. The Council also operates a district licensing scheme for great crested newts.

The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This policy requires development to deliver biodiversity net gain, meaning habitats must be left in a measurably better state than before. Unless nationally exempt, schemes must achieve at least 10% net gain if delivered on site or elsewhere within Buckinghamshire, rising to 20% if delivered outside the county. Gains are calculated using the latest statutory metric and should support the Local Nature Recovery Strategy. Buying statutory biodiversity credits is a last resort, and significant habitat creation must come with a long-term management and monitoring plan approved by the Council.

The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This policy requires development to deliver high-quality green infrastructure, the network of green spaces, trees, waterways and other natural features that benefits wildlife, flood management, health and recreation. Residential schemes of more than ten dwellings, or over 1,000 square metres of floorspace, must meet Natural England's Accessible Green Space standards and submit a Green Infrastructure Statement. These standards aim for good quality green space within a 15-minute walk of home. Green infrastructure must be managed for at least 30 years after completion, with arrangements to secure its management in perpetuity.

The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This policy protects trees, woodlands, orchards and hedgerows. There is a presumption to refuse development that would cause the loss or deterioration of ancient or veteran trees, ancient woodland, traditional orchards or important native hedgerows, except in exceptional circumstances with clear overriding public benefit. Minimum natural buffers are required, including fifty metres for ancient woodland, at least twenty-five metres for other woodland and five metres either side of hedgerows. Where trees could be affected, a tree survey to British Standard 5837 is required, and acceptable losses must be replaced with locally appropriate species.