The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This section explains the district's housing need and sets out the housing allocations policy. The plan runs from 2026 to 2041 and uses the Government's standard method, which gives a need of 832 homes a year and a target of 12,480 homes. After counting existing planning permissions and an allowance for windfall sites, 10,312 homes must come from allocated sites. The policy safeguards allocated sites for housing, expects development broadly in line with each site's stated capacity, and only allows earlier release of sites if the five-year housing land supply falls short.
Homes & housing
How many new homes are planned, where they go, affordable housing requirements, housing mix, density and homes for older people.
121 sections of the plan, in document order.
The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This section describes the district and the issues the plan must tackle. Three Rivers covers about 88 square kilometres on the edge of London, with around 93,800 residents in 2021, projected to reach 98,919 by 2041 alongside a fast-growing over-65 population. It is among the least deprived areas in England, though pockets of deprivation exist, notably in South Oxhey. House prices averaged £594,000 in October 2025, making affordable housing a pressing need. Around 76% of the district is Green Belt, car dependency is high, and the council declared a climate emergency in 2019.
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 The old district plans are increasingly out of date, and national policy has changed.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 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 describes the evidence base behind the Plan. A wide range of technical studies covers housing and employment needs, transport, infrastructure, climate change, sustainability, health and design. Key studies include the Housing and Economic Land Availability Assessment (HELAA) and the New and Expanded Settlement Study (NESS), which test whether promoted sites are suitable, available and achievable. Other evidence covers flood risk, water, renewable energy, retail and gypsy and traveller accommodation. A full list is on the Council's website.
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 opens the Development Strategy chapter with the plan's vision for 2050. It pictures South Warwickshire as a flourishing, healthy and vibrant place where new settlements thrive alongside existing communities, with homes and jobs in accessible, well-connected locations and a bigger, greener economy driving towards net zero carbon. The vision is backed by strategic objectives, beginning with delivering infrastructure in the right place at the right time and providing homes that meet the needs of all communities, including affordable and specialist housing.
The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This section introduces the strategic policies chapter through the spatial strategy, which directs growth to the edges of the district's larger settlements where services and transport are strongest. It explains that brownfield sites can deliver fewer than 700 new homes, so the plan provides for around 4,200 dwellings on land currently in the Green Belt. The council argues that exceptional circumstances justify changing Green Belt boundaries, citing the scale of housing need, limited brownfield land, acute affordable housing need and the extent of Green Belt cover.
The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This section sets out the spatial strategy in full. Growth is focused on edge-of-settlement sites next to the larger settlements, which the council judges the most sustainable and least harmful option after assessing all reasonable alternatives. A settlement hierarchy directs most growth to the principal town, small towns and large villages, while washed-over Green Belt villages take only 1 to 2% of housing growth. The plan requires significantly higher housing densities, especially near town centres and public transport, to reduce land take, and limits Green Belt release to what is needed with compensatory environmental improvements.
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 policy sets the overall growth level for the plan. It provides for 468 dwellings a year, at least 7,017 homes over the 15-year plan period, delivered in line with the spatial strategy. This is below the Government's standard method figure of 832 homes a year (12,480 in total), which the council says cannot be met without unacceptable harm to the Green Belt, infrastructure and the rural road network. Employment uses on allocated sites are safeguarded unless their loss is robustly justified, and the council will consider an early review of the plan if more growth could be accommodated sustainably.
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 covers housing and affordability. Buckinghamshire has about 220,727 households, with around 71% owning their home. Average house prices were around £479,000 in April 2026, and in 2024 the affordability ratio was 11.6, meaning prices are over eleven times average earnings, among the least affordable in England and Wales. The standard method identifies a need of about 4,344 homes a year, around 91,230 homes to 2045. Meeting this while protecting the county's character is a major challenge.
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 3, on new housing. It aims to meet housing needs for all groups, including affordable, accessible and specialist homes, key worker housing and self-build opportunities. The national standard method calculates a need of 4,344 new homes a year, about 91,230 homes over the plan period. The Plan must also meet an identified need of 681 pitches for Gypsies and Travellers and 38 plots for Travelling Showpeople.
The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This section introduces the housing chapter. It explains that alongside a significant increase in the number of new homes, the district needs a balance of housing types, sizes and tenures to meet varied community needs and support sustainable, mixed communities. It also notes the district's ageing population, which means new development must include housing designed for older people and specialist accommodation to meet particular needs.
The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This policy requires new homes to deliver a balanced mix of sizes, types and tenures based on set percentages in the plan, with any variation needing clear evidence. Schemes of 100 or more homes must include a housing diversity strategy. All new dwellings must meet accessible and adaptable standard M4(2), and on sites of 10 or more homes a share must be built to wheelchair standard M4(3): 5% of market and 10% of affordable homes. Sites of 200 or more dwellings should provide 2% as self-build plots, and houses in multiple occupation must not harm local character.
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 introduces the strategic policies in Chapter 5. These form the core of the Local Plan, setting the overall spatial strategy for the pattern, scale and quality of development, and how needs for housing, employment, infrastructure and environmental protection will be met. They provide for homes including affordable housing, economic development, community facilities and the conservation of the natural, built and historic environment, and form the basis for the more detailed policies in Chapter 7.
The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This policy sets out how the Council will apply the presumption in favour of sustainable development. It will take a positive approach, working with applicants to find solutions so proposals can be approved wherever possible. Applications that accord with the Local Plan should be approved without delay unless other material considerations indicate otherwise. Where relevant policies are absent or out of date, permission will be granted unless the harm would significantly and demonstrably outweigh the benefits under national policy.
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 policy sets the housing strategy. It provides for 91,287 new homes between 2024 and 2045, with a stepped requirement of 2,150 homes a year to 2029/30 and 5,222 a year from 2030/31. Growth is prioritised on brownfield land, where 107 allocations will provide 7,599 homes, and at 10 new and expanded settlements (NESS sites) including Aylesbury North, Winslow and Cheddington, each planned for up to 3,650 homes. Further greenfield sites are allocated according to a settlement hierarchy, with no allocations in the Green Belt.
The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This policy sets housing density expectations. New housing should normally be built at 50 dwellings per hectare within the developable area of a site, with higher densities expected in places well served by public transport, services and facilities. Lower densities may be acceptable in special cases, such as areas of historic or landscape value or specialist housing, but must be justified with supporting evidence. Density should generally be lower at the edges of a site and increase towards its centre.
The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This policy seeks at least 40% affordable housing on all development creating one or more extra homes, split 70% for rent and 30% for affordable home ownership. Major schemes in the Green Belt (10 or more homes, or 0.5 hectares or more) must provide at least 50%. Small sites of one to nine homes may pay a financial contribution instead. Affordable homes must look the same as market homes and be spread across a site. Most types are allocated to people with a local connection, and First Homes carry a permanent discount of at least 30%.
The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This policy provides for Gypsy, Traveller and Travelling Showpeople accommodation. The identified need over the plan period is 681 pitches and 38 plots, of which 516 pitches and 30 plots are needed in the first 10 years. The Council will allocate 280 pitches and 14 plots towards this, through a mix of new sites and the intensification or expansion of existing sites, with further pitches on NESS sites in later years. Existing lawful sites are safeguarded, and delivery will be monitored with more sites identified if needed.
The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This policy requires all new homes to be net zero in operation. Dwellings must achieve at least a 63% improvement on the 2021 Building Regulations target emissions rate through energy efficiency, with fabric improvements from 12% for end terraces to 24% for flats. Meeting absolute targets of 35 kWh per square metre a year total energy, and 15 for space heating, earns positive weight. Fossil fuels and gas connections are ruled out except in exceptional cases, and on-site renewables must match predicted energy use, with offset payments a last resort. Larger schemes report energy data for five years.
The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This policy requires new non-residential buildings to be net zero for regulated energy, the energy used by fixed systems such as heating and lighting. Buildings must beat the 2021 Building Regulations emissions target by set margins: 25% for offices, 35% for schools, 45% for industrial buildings, 10% for hotels and residential institutions, and 35% for others. Absolute targets of 65 kWh per square metre a year, and 15 for space heating, are an alternative route. Fossil fuels are ruled out except in exceptional cases, on-site renewables must match energy use with offsetting a last resort, and larger buildings report energy data for five years.
The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This policy allocates housing sites at local growth locations, each with an indicative minimum capacity and site-specific requirements. The extract covers Alcester and Barford: 286 homes south of Allimore Lane, avoiding Flood Zones 2 and 3; 79 homes north of Captains Hill on grey belt land (lower-performing Green Belt land that national policy may allow for development); 34 homes south of Westham Lane; and 122 homes east of Wellesbourne Road, where nearby minerals workings require a sensitive layout.
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%.