Green Belt & countryside

The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This policy sets out where the Green Belt boundary will change to make room for the plan's proposals. Six villages, including Bubbenhall, Claverdon and Snitterfield, are taken out of the Green Belt. Land is also removed for new settlements and major growth sites at places such as Hatton, Kenilworth South, Leamington Spa North, South of Coventry and Coventry Airport, plus smaller sites at Alcester, Hampton Magna, Kenilworth, Studley and Stoneleigh. A boundary error at Leek Wootton is also corrected.

The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This section explains the Green Belt changes in full. It allows neighbourhood plans to release small Green Belt sites for local needs where strict conditions are met. National policy applies to proposals both in and out of the Green Belt, and the Golden Rules on affordable housing do not apply to land released under the older 2016 and 2017 local plans. A Green Belt Review found exceptional circumstances justify the changes, because many of the most sustainable growth locations sit within the Green Belt.

The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This section introduces the plan's approach to protecting valued landscapes. It says great weight will be given to conserving the Cotswolds National Landscape, including harm caused by development outside its boundary that affects views to or from it. A 3km buffer around the National Landscape is shown on the Policies Map. It also notes that South Warwickshire contains several other distinctive local landscapes that shape the character of its countryside and settlements.

The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This policy limits development in the Cotswolds National Landscape to meeting local needs only. It will not be used to meet wider South Warwickshire needs or unmet needs from neighbouring areas. Proposals must conserve and enhance the area's natural beauty, special qualities, cultural and natural heritage and tranquillity, including dark skies. They must be sensitively located and designed, and show all reasonable steps have been taken to further the purpose of conserving the landscape. Development needed to conserve or manage the National Landscape will be supported.

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 section sets out the site allocations for Travelling Showpeople. The needs assessment found a need for 6 plots, plus 10 plots from households with undetermined need. Five yards are allocated with a combined capacity of 49 plots, all in the Green Belt. Two yards behind Uxbridge Road in Mill End, TSP1 and TSP2, are safeguarded and intensified, adding 3 and 9 plots respectively. The remaining yards at Carpenders Park and Sarratt, TSP3 to TSP5, are safeguarded but cannot be expanded due to site constraints.

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 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 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.

The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This section sets out the settlement gap policy and its reasoning. In Areas of Restraint, large-scale development will only be permitted where it brings clear community benefits, supports the plan's objectives, and no suitable alternative site exists nearby. These areas are not landscape quality designations. They protect open land in and around settlements, such as river valley corridors, because of its contribution to a settlement's character and form. Agricultural and recreational uses, allotments, cemeteries and small farm additions may still be appropriate.

The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This section covers Maple Lodge Wastewater Treatment Works, east of Maple Cross. It is a key infrastructure asset serving Three Rivers and the wider area, and keeps its designation as a significant infrastructure site in the Green Belt. The policy allows redevelopment or limited infilling to meet future operational needs, provided the continued use of the site for wastewater treatment is safeguarded, the mature landscaped boundaries are retained, and any further buildings are of comparable height to nearby structures on the site.

The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This section explains how development in the Green Belt is assessed. New farm or forestry workers' dwellings must pass functional and financial tests, normally starting with temporary accommodation for the first three years. Extensions that increase a building's original floorspace by more than 40% will normally be treated as disproportionate, and replacement buildings must not be materially larger than those they replace, though small homes of 110 square metres or less get some flexibility. It also covers reuse of buildings, ancillary buildings and extending gardens, all judged against the openness of the Green Belt.

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 policy sets when and how much affordable housing developers must provide. In Designated Rural Areas it applies to schemes of 2 or more homes or sites of 0.5 hectares or more; everywhere else it applies at 10 or more homes or 0.5 hectares. In Zone 1, at least 50% affordable housing is required on Green Belt or Cotswolds National Landscape sites and 40% elsewhere. In Zone 2 the figures are 40% and 30%. Where demolition is involved, the thresholds apply to the net increase in homes.

The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This section sets out the detail and justification for the affordable housing requirements. Evidence identifies a need for 1,237 affordable homes a year across South Warwickshire, about 56% of the total housing need of 2,197 homes a year. On schemes of 10 or more homes, affordable housing should normally be built on site, while smaller schemes in rural areas pay a financial contribution instead. Some development types, such as holiday lets, mobile homes and residential annexes, are exempt. Affordable homes will be secured in perpetuity through Section 106 legal agreements, and requirements are subject to viability.

The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This section gives the detailed rules and reasoning for rural exception sites. Housing need must be evidenced by a proper survey of residents, normally valid for five years, with future occupiers showing a strong local connection through birth, residence, work or family. Some market housing may be allowed to make a scheme viable or meet a surveyed local need, but never more than 50% of the homes. A Section 106 agreement will secure occupancy, tenure and long-term management. The policy exists because high prices and restricted supply make affordable housing especially hard to deliver in rural areas.

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 policy supports self-build and custom-build housing through several routes. On large developments of 500 or more homes, 2% of dwellings must be provided as serviced self-build plots unless the councils' register shows lower demand, with plots offered at a range of costs, sizes and types and an average density of 25 homes per hectare. Standalone schemes are also supported within settlement boundaries, on suitable sites next to larger settlements outside the Green Belt or Cotswolds National Landscape, or adjoining settlements where a local community need is evidenced.

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 a Landscape and Environmental Management Plan, known as a LEMP, wherever landscape mitigation, restoration or habitat creation is proposed. The plan must be secured through planning conditions or a legal agreement for at least 30 years or the full life of the development, whichever is longer. It must set clear management objectives, include baseline surveys of existing landscape and wildlife features, give detailed specifications for all planting and landscape elements, and identify who will manage the land and how it will be funded.

The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This section explains the landscape management policy. Management responsibility for new landscape areas will first be offered to the town or parish council, then to the local authority, with adoption plus a 30-year maintenance payment the preferred outcome. Management plans must cover monitoring, invasive species control, litter, public safety, measures against vandalism, and lighting controls to protect dark skies and rural character. The 30-year minimum period matches national biodiversity legislation and ensures improvements are sustained and adapted over time.