Archived press release

Date Published: 17/04/08

Thousands of new homes will be built in the Vale

Aylesbury Vale District Council has moved a step closer to determining the future direction of Aylesbury’s growth.

At a meeting of the cabinet this week, members asked council officers to look in detail at three different options for the development of the town. Options cover growth to the east, to the south and a combination of the east and south.

The eastern growth option would include land between Watermead and Bierton, land to the north of the canal near Broughton Crossing, and land to the north west of Weston Turville, between the Aston Clinton Road and the Wendover Road.

An area of land between the A418 Oxford Road and the A41 Aston Clinton Road has already been identified as a possible location for a southern growth arc. The eastern and southern growth option combines this area with development at Broughton Crossing.

A critical piece of infrastructure which must be provided regardless of the direction of growth at Aylesbury is an eastern link road connecting the A418 east of Bierton to the A41 Aston Clinton Road, including a direct link into the town centre via Stocklake. This new link into the town will be crucial in helping to manage traffic growth and the challenges presented by the Air Quality Management Areas on Tring Road and the gyratory system on Wendover Road.

It had been hoped that these new roads would be funded by the government. However, recent changes to the way the government is funding new roads means that this will not happen. Therefore developer contributions will be needed to secure the eastern link roads.

AVDC is required by the government to provide an increased number of houses, as identified in the emerging South East Plan. Overall, in addition to unallocated development opportunities that emerge, sites for at least 9,300 new homes at Aylesbury will need to be identified through the council’s Core Strategy document. These new homes form part of an allocation of more than 27,000 homes in the Vale required by the government by 2026.

Councillor Carole Paternoster, Cabinet Member for Strategic Planning, said: “In order to take the growth which has been allocated to Aylesbury, we must ensure that essential infrastructure can be delivered in a timely manner to support that growth. I am pleased that the cabinet has agreed to look at these options, which will be subject to full public consultation in the autumn.

“The review of the evidence base has shown us that the choice for a southern growth arc is not clear cut, but I must stress that at this stage no options have been ruled out. It is important that councillors have all the necessary information to hand so that they can make an informed and transparent decision which will be fair to everybody. We must make the right decision for the future of Aylesbury and the Vale.”

The final decision on the direction of growth for Aylesbury is likely to be reached in the spring of 2010, following in-depth public consultation across the town this autumn.