Cabinet endorses new targets for jobs and homes

Archived press release

Date Published: 18/05/12

New development

Please note this decision has been superceded by the Cabinet decision of 14 August 2012.

Aylesbury Vale District Council’s cabinet has endorsed proposed targets for the amount of new jobs and homes to be provided in the area over the next 20 years.

At a meeting of the cabinet this week, councillors backed a proposal for 6,000 new jobs and 9,000 new homes across the district by 2031, in addition to existing commitments, amounting to around 300 jobs and 450 new build properties per year.

A figure of 6,000 additional homes has been estimated for the Aylesbury area, with the remaining 3,000 homes split between Buckingham and the rural areas in the north and south of the Vale.

Further work will now be done based on these housing and jobs targets, along with an indication of where they are to be located, so they can be included in the council’s Vale of Aylesbury Plan. The plan will set out the long term vision, objectives and strategy for the future development of the district. When complete, it will provide the planning policy background against which the council will determine planning applications over the next 20 years.

The cabinet has agreed to develop the plan in a number of parts so the planning strategy for the Vale can be in place by spring next year. The strategy document will set out housing and jobs targets, the distribution of growth, the principles of how development should take place and the phasing of that development. This document will be considered again by cabinet and then by full council later this year.

The need to set new jobs and housing targets for the district is due to the government’s intention to abolish the South East Plan which has currently set the growth targets for the district at 26,890 new homes by 2026 or 1,345 new build properties per year. Currently 750 new homes are built on average each year in the Vale.

The decision to select the new jobs and housing targets follows consultation with all the town and parish councils in the district as well as a public consultation with residents, businesses,

developers and other interested parties, who were asked for their views on a number of options for jobs and housing numbers for the district to 2031, and a range of options for how these might be distributed across the district.

More than 220 individual replies were received with 31 per cent selecting the lowest range (4,500 to 6,700 homes and 0 to 3,000 jobs) and 33 per cent opting for the highest level of development (11,250 to 13,500 homes and 9,100 to 12,000 jobs) as their preferred options.

After carefully considering the relevant technical information and all consultation responses, the cabinet adopted a medium level of development to address the Vale’s future growth needs.

Councils are required to set targets for housing growth and are being encouraged by the government to be ‘pro-growth’ and ‘pro-development’, particularly in relation to job creation.

Councillor Carole Paternoster, Cabinet Member for Strategic Planning, said: “Despite the difficult economic situation currently facing the country, we have to plan for the future when the situation will have improved. Now, for the very first time, district councils are responsible for setting their own jobs and housing numbers. After taking into account all the information we have received from a very-wide ranging consultation exercise over many months and also from technical experts, the cabinet has put forward figures which we believe will support economic growth in the Vale and will also help to provide at least some of the infrastructure we so badly need.

“In Aylesbury Vale, we have seen different levels of growth over the past few years. This means we are in a very strong position to know what type of growth is needed in the next 20 years and what levels the district can sustain. We are confident that by recommending a reasonable level for new jobs and homes the Vale will continue to thrive and prosper.”

For further information, visit www.aylesburyvaledc.gov.uk/aylesburyvaleplan