Town centres & shops

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 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 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 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 allocation covers The Gateway, a 20.6-hectare brownfield site in Aylesbury currently occupied by Council offices and surface car parking, a twenty-minute walk from the train station. It is allocated for 4,000 sqm of town centre and office floorspace plus an assumed 1,455 homes, with new public spaces and potentially fewer parking spaces. Development should bring culture and leisure-led uses, landmark buildings designed to soften the impact of height, active ground-floor frontages and better pedestrian links towards the town centre. An early masterplan is required.

The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This allocation covers the Exchange Street car park in Aylesbury town centre for a mixed development of 2,000 sqm of town centre uses, 2,000 sqm of offices, around 450 homes, new public realm and 150 parking spaces. The site has been a surface car park since around 2010 and sits next to Hale Leys Shopping Centre and The Exchange leisure quarter. Development must enhance the setting of listed buildings in Market Square and the Aylesbury Conservation Area, keep the mature horse chestnut trees on Exchange Street, and improve pedestrian links across the town centre.

The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This allocation covers the Royal Mail delivery office site, just over one hectare next to Aylesbury town centre, for an assumed 80 homes and 420 sqm of town centre retail. New buildings should match neighbouring heights and follow a design brief reflecting the local area. Access would be from a single upgraded junction off Upper Hundreds Way, with a new at-grade pedestrian crossing near the existing subway. Because of past uses, a contamination investigation is required, along with ecological assessments for birds and bats and a noise assessment.

The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This allocation covers Hale Leys Shopping Centre, a 0.6-hectare site in the heart of Aylesbury town centre, for a mixed development of 4,821 sqm of employment space, 4,821 sqm of retail and an assumed 220 homes. Ground floors should stay in retail use with apartments above. Development must provide active frontages towards Market Square and the High Street, enhance the setting of nearby listed buildings and the conservation area, and follow a design brief consistent with Aylesbury Garden Town principles. Keeping retail on the site is seen as vital for a vibrant town centre.

The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This allocation sets out plans for an assumed 375 homes and up to 7,000 square metres of employment space at Sword House and 11 Duke Street in High Wycombe town centre. The 0.86 hectare site includes the Totteridge Road car park and sits a few minutes from the railway station. Sword House would be kept for employment use, mature boundary trees retained, and any lost public parking spaces replaced unless shown to be no longer needed. Better walking and cycling routes to the station are also required.

The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This allocation supports redeveloping the Easton Street multi-storey car park in High Wycombe for an assumed 160 homes with around 660 square metres of shops or other commercial uses at ground level. The 0.33 hectare site is next to the railway station, so a high-density scheme with fewer parking spaces is expected. The existing parking has been shown to be surplus and does not need replacing. Flood risk is a major constraint, so bedrooms and living spaces should be on the first floor or above.

The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This allocation sets out a mixed redevelopment of the Chilterns Shopping Centre at Frogmoor, High Wycombe, with an assumed 300 homes above flexible shops and commercial space at ground level. Flooding is the main constraint: 91% of the 1.06 hectare site is in the highest risk flood zone, so off-site flood storage would be needed and no building is allowed in those areas. The site is in a conservation area, and Grade II listed buildings must be kept and enhanced.

The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This allocation proposes an assumed 240 homes at Star Yard, one of the main car parks serving Chesham town centre. The 0.59 hectare site has the culverted River Chess running beneath it and sits within Flood Zone 2. Public parking must be kept on site or replaced nearby unless evidence shows less is needed, and pedestrian routes to the High Street retained. Because the site is near the Chilterns Beechwoods protected area, permission will not be granted until green space and visitor management mitigation is in place.

The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This allocation supports an assumed 30 homes at Albany Place Car Park in central Chesham. The 0.35 hectare site includes the 330-seat Elgiva Theatre, which must be re-provided in a suitable town centre location, and seventy-one parking spaces that must be replaced unless shown to be unnecessary. Flood risk is significant, with off-site flood storage required and no housing allowed in the highest risk zone. Permission also depends on mitigation being in place for the nearby Chilterns Beechwoods protected area.

The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This allocation proposes an assumed 55 homes at Water Meadow Car Park, one of Chesham's main long-stay town centre car parks. Public parking must be kept on site or replaced centrally unless evidence shows fewer spaces are needed, and existing walking routes retained. The site is in the Chesham Conservation Area, so designs must protect its character. Contributions towards Lowndes Park open space and play areas are required, along with flood risk measures and mitigation for the Chilterns Beechwoods protected area.

The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This allocation supports employment development in the High Wycombe Central Business Centre, at the heart of the town centre near the railway station. It seeks approximately 0.4 hectares of high-quality business floorspace, including offices and research and development, with around 1 hectare of new business space identified as a wider regeneration opportunity. Small-scale community and town centre uses are also supported where they add jobs and footfall without reducing the employment space delivered.

The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This policy requires new residential development, including conversions, to provide a mix of home types and sizes that meets current and future housing needs. The mix for market housing should broadly follow the Council's latest evidence, currently the Buckinghamshire Local Housing Needs Assessment 2026, along with any Neighbourhood Development Plan evidence. The mix can be negotiated where developers provide evidence about local market conditions, local character or physical constraints. The proportions are a guide rather than a fixed requirement, but any variation must be fully justified.

The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This section sets out Table 6, which shows the recommended mix of market and affordable housing by type. For market housing the guide is 15% one-bedroom homes, 14% flats with two or more bedrooms, 16% two-bedroom houses, 28% three-bedroom homes, 23% homes with four or more bedrooms and 4% specialist older person housing. For affordable housing the figures are 27%, 13%, 23%, 26%, 7%, 2% and 2% for supported housing.

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 supports self-build and custom housebuilding, where people commission or build their own homes. On sites of 50 or more dwellings, at least 5% of market homes must be provided as serviced plots for self or custom build, unless robust evidence shows a lower share is needed for viability. Plots must be marketed for at least 24 months; if unsold they should be offered to the Council or a Registered Provider before the developer can build them out as market housing. Each plot needs a plot passport setting out its key design rules.

The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This policy requires specialist and supported housing on larger sites. Developments of more than 600 homes must provide at least 10% of homes as older persons accommodation, and sites of more than 150 homes must provide at least 4% of the affordable housing for other specialist needs, such as people with learning disabilities or mental health needs. Older persons schemes must be in sustainable locations with on-site care and social facilities. Existing specialist housing cannot be lost unless equivalent or better provision is made nearby or the use is shown to be unviable.

The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This policy supports affordable homes on Rural Exception Sites, which are sites next to villages that would not normally get planning permission for housing. Schemes must meet a clearly evidenced local need, be of a size that suits the settlement, have access to local services, and be owned and managed by a Registered Provider so the homes stay affordable in perpetuity. A small amount of market housing may be allowed only where robust evidence shows a 100% affordable scheme would not be viable, and only at the minimum level needed.

The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This policy covers employment sites above 1,000 square metres or 0.25 hectares that are not listed as strategic or key sites. Intensification and regeneration for employment uses will be supported. A change to non-employment uses may only be permitted where the site has been robustly marketed for employment use for a continuous period of 18 months with no viable interest, at an appropriate price, before the application is submitted. Any affected businesses should be able to relocate, ideally within Buckinghamshire, and the change must not harm the employment use of the rest of the site.

The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This policy safeguards small employment sites, defined as up to 1,000 square metres or 0.25 hectares, which support small businesses, start-ups and local services in market towns and on settlement edges. Losing such a site to non-employment uses, including housing, will only be supported where it is clearly shown that employment use is no longer appropriate or achievable, reasonable efforts have been made to keep employment on the site, and the loss would not unacceptably reduce the supply and choice of small business premises. Once lost, these sites are rarely replaced.

The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This policy defines the retail hierarchy for Buckinghamshire's town centres. Aylesbury and High Wycombe are sub-regional town centres and the main focus for retail development. Below them sit seven town centres, including Buckingham, Chesham and Marlow; seven district centres, including Wendover and Winslow; and eleven local centres, including Bourne End and Haddenham. Forecasts identify a need for up to 140,442 square metres of retail, food, beverage and leisure floorspace by 2045, though the Council is likely to plan to meet needs to 2035 and then review the position.

The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This policy controls development within Buckinghamshire's town centres. In primary shopping frontages, only shops, cafes, restaurants and financial and professional services will be permitted at ground floor level, subject to keeping a good overall mix and contributing to the centre's vitality. Elsewhere in centres, a wider range of town centre uses is supported where they complement existing uses and keep the street scene attractive, with no more than three consecutive non-retail units in a row outside the main shopping areas. Homes and offices are encouraged above ground floor level.

The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This policy applies national tests to proposals for main town centre uses, such as shops and leisure, located outside defined centres. Proposals over 400 square metres must pass a sequential test, showing no suitable site exists in or on the edge of a centre, and an impact test; development will be refused if it would significantly harm an existing centre. Small shops of up to 400 square metres, or extensions serving local needs within or next to settlements, are supported. The thresholds reflect evidence that Buckinghamshire's small centres are vulnerable to out-of-town development.

The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This policy supports Gateway sites, a new type of visitor destination designed to draw people away from protected Special Areas of Conservation. A Gateway must sit within 500 metres of the SAC boundary, cover more than 8 hectares (ideally over 15), and offer facilities such as refreshments, toilets, local retail and sufficient parking so visitors stay there rather than entering the protected area. Proposals that would increase visitor numbers to the SAC will not be supported. A Gateway is currently proposed at Land at Wards Hurst, Ringshall, near the Ashridge Estate.