Site allocations

The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This section introduces Part II of the Local Plan, which sets out where development will take place, how much, and when. Sites are allocated for housing, gypsy and traveller and travelling showpeople accommodation, employment including Warner Bros. Studios, town centres and retail, open space, education and infrastructure. It explains how sites were assessed, including through the Strategic Housing and Employment Land Availability Assessment and an access to services study. It also sets out why the council considers exceptional circumstances exist to release some Green Belt land for development.

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.

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 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.

The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This section covers planning for town centres. Aylesbury and High Wycombe are centres of regional importance, supported by smaller centres across the county. The Plan identifies a need for 59,000 sqm of floorspace for retail, food and drink, and leisure and cultural uses by 2035. The first focus is bringing vacant units back into use; cutting vacancy rates to 10% would provide 14,300 sqm. Longer term, most new floorspace will come through large mixed-use allocations linked to population growth.

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 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 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 section introduces the Strategic Site Principles part of the plan. It lists the strategic objectives these policies support, from timely infrastructure and homes for all communities to heritage, health and environmental net gain. It explains that Policy DS.4 will set the key principles that the Strategic Growth Locations identified in Policy DS.2 must follow, to ensure timely delivery and a coordinated approach to creating new communities.

The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This policy sets the core principles for New Settlements and Strategic Growth Locations, where most new development to 2050 will be built. The housing numbers in the plan are minimums and can be exceeded where good planning outcomes are secured, for example through higher densities. Sites must respond positively to their setting through a landscape-led approach, show high-quality design that respects key views, landscape and heritage, and achieve densities that use land efficiently while respecting local character.

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 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 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 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 section sets out the full housing allocation schedule under Policy DS.7, covering dozens of settlements from Alcester to Whitnash with indicative minimum capacities and requirements on flood risk, landscape, heritage and access. It also lists custom and self-build sites, allocations carried forward from adopted local and neighbourhood plans, and a Traveller site at Harbury Lane providing permanent pitches, transit bays and a support hub once Leamington Football Club relocates. The justification explains proposals including the Stratford-upon-Avon Gateway, Studley regeneration, Chandos Street, Warwick's cafe quarter, St Mary's Lands and Myton Community Stadium.

The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This section introduces the site allocations chapter. Allocations identify specific parcels of land to deliver the plan's strategy, giving certainty about where development will happen and what it will include, and helping maintain a five-year supply of housing land. Concept plans alongside the NESS site policies illustrate key principles for each site. The NESS numbering reflects an original assessment of 18 potential sites, later reduced to 10, with original reference numbers kept for consistency.

The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This section gives the full Policy DS.8 and its justification. Beyond the urban areas and service centres, Rural Service Centres, villages within the Green Belt or Cotswolds National Landscape, are limited to infilling only, and in the wider countryside proposals are judged against Policies DS.9 to DS.12. The plan relies on a small amount of windfall development, meaning schemes on sites it has not identified, and this policy provides the flexibility to handle them. Developers are expected to engage with the local community before submitting applications.

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 section sets out the site allocations for Gypsies and Travellers. The needs assessment found a need for 37 pitches, plus 4 pitches from households with undetermined need. Eight sites, references GT1 to GT8, are allocated with a combined capacity of 83 pitches, all in the Green Belt. Most are existing safeguarded sites; GT3 is expanded and GT5 intensified, while GT6 near Kings Langley and GT7 at Maple Cross are new sites providing 4 and 15 pitches. Housing site H41 at Mill End must also provide at least 7 pitches.

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 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 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 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 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 section sets out the employment site allocations. Evidence in the South West Herts Economic Study (2024) found no need for new office sites, and recommends resisting any loss of office space. Four existing employment areas are safeguarded: Croxley Business Park (E1), Tolpits Lane (E2), Maple Cross/Maple Lodge (E3) and Kings Langley Employment Area (E4). Two small extensions to Croxley Business Park are allocated as E5 and E6, and Leavesden Park (E7) is allocated as an employment site, protected by an Article 4 Direction that stops offices changing to homes without planning permission.

The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This allocation sets out a 103.2-hectare site south of Stoke Mandeville for a minimum of 1,650 homes within the plan period, plus around 1,500 sqm of town centre uses. Higher densities are focused near the railway station, which will be enhanced as a transport hub with a new pedestrian and cycle crossing of the railway. Requirements include a primary school, the South Spine Road, buffers along the HS2 corridor, protection of the setting of Stoke House, and a site-wide masterplan and phasing strategy.

The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This section covers Warner Bros. Studios at Leavesden, a key asset for the creative industries and one of the few UK locations able to host large-scale film production. The studio tour attracts over 6,000 visitors a day at peak times, and Warner Bros. plans to grow the site by around a quarter. The existing 63 hectare studios site (WB1) is safeguarded, and two expansion sites are allocated: land at Gypsy Lane, Hunton Bridge (WB2) and land west of Leavesden Aerodrome (WB3), which already has planning permission and includes public open space.

The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This allocation covers a 411.4-hectare site around Winslow for a minimum of 9,370 homes, with 3,650 in the plan period, plus 15 Gypsy and Traveller pitches, around 16 hectares of employment land and 3,500 sqm of town centre uses. It requires four primary schools, two secondary schools, new link roads and integration with East West Rail, whose safeguarded land must not be built on. Green gaps must prevent merging with Great Horwood. The employment land targets high-value sectors, helped by the new station and the Oxford to Cambridge growth corridor.