1.01 Wycombe District encompasses extensive rural areas, together with the major urban centre of High Wycombe, the riverside town of Marlow, the rural settlements of Princes Risborough, Stokenchurch and Lane End, and many villages and communities, each with distinct identities.

1.02 Extending to approximately 32,360 hectares (124.9 square miles), the District is subject to considerable development pressures in both urban and rural areas. This is because of its attractive environment, its location in the South-East, its proximity to Heathrow, and its good position on the national motorway network, including the M40.

1.03 One of the District Council’s principal planning tasks is to reconcile development pressure with the protection and enhancement of the environment. The Metropolitan Green Belt covers 48% of the District and 71% is within the Chilterns Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB). The District’s residential areas are varied and attractive. There are 60 Conservation Areas, usually based on a village or hamlet, but also including the historic centres of the larger towns. The District has numerous Listed Buildings, archaeological sites and a rich diversity of wildlife habitats. The River Thames along the District’s Southern boundary, together with its tributary the River Wye, is a significant environmental and recreational resource.

1.04 The County Council’s 1994 based population projections expect a 1% drop in the District’s population between 1991 and 2011. The Registrar General’s midyear estimates indicate that Wycombe’s population rose from 159,800 in 1991 to 164,100 in 1995, but had fallen by 1998 to 163,400. This indicates that the expected reduction in the population by 2011 is likely to take place, mostly as a result of net out migration. The County Council estimates a change in the age structure of the population, with a reduction in the number of children and young people (under 18 years) and a big increase in the number of people over retirement age. In 1991 these people comprised 15% of the population, while in 2011 they are expected to form 23% of the total population.

1.05 Despite this fairly static population, national household projections have identified a reduction in household size. Taking these projections into account the County Council has identified that the resident population of the District will require some 12,200 additional dwellings between 1991 and 2011 if locally generated housing demands are to be met. However, due to environmental constraints and the inadequacy of local transportation systems, the adopted Buckinghamshire County Structure Plan (which provides the strategic context for this Local Plan) has identified that only 60% (7200 homes) should be provided. At April 1999 some 2663 additional dwellings had been provided.

1.06 The economic base of the area is centred on High Wycombe and Marlow. The traditional industries were furniture and paper production. Modern service industries have been attracted to the District and include nationally known firms such as Dun and Bradstreet, Saab, Volvo, and Rank Hovis Research. Particularly strong areas are Information Technology and the pharmaceutical industry. Agriculture is an important industry locally and many small firms have developed an association with it. Overall, the local economy is strong and diverse and is modernising to meet market conditions. New development is however mainly directed to the re-use of existing employment land and the opportunities for new employment sites are limited.

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1.07 The Wycombe District Local Plan to 2011 has been prepared by Wycombe District Council in accordance with the Town & Country Planning Act 1990 (as amended by the Planning & Compensation Act 1991). The 1991 Act made preparation of District-wide Local Plans mandatory for all areas, and resulted in the production of the Adopted Wycombe District Local Plan (July 1995) for the District. Full guidance on the preparation of Local Plans is given in Planning Policy Guidance Note 12: Development Plans and Regional Planning Guidance (PPG12, December 1999).

1.08 The role of Local Plans, as set out in PPG12, is to provide a framework for sound and effective development control, and to make adequate provision for development, whilst protecting the environment. PPG12 sees development plans as contributing towards the Government’s objective that development and growth are sustainable.

1.09 The Local Plan provides a clear and up-to-date framework of planning policies in order to guide planning decisions made under Section 54A of the Town and Country Planning Act, and seeks to provide certainty to landowners, the general public, and developers about the future of land use in the District up to the year 2011. The Local Plan therefore will run to the same period as the County Structure Plan.

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1.10 There are a number of reasons why the District Council decided to review the adopted Wycombe District Local Plan. These are:

1. The Local Plan should provide an up-to-date framework for the future development of the District over a 10 year period to give certainty to residents, businesses and other interested parties. The previous Adopted Local Plan only covered the period to 2001;
   
   
2. The Adopted Buckinghamshire County Structure Plan (March 1996) covers the period 1991-2011. It identifies the need for additional housing within Wycombe District, with the High Wycombe urban area, in particular, as one of three growth centres in the County (the other two being Aylesbury and Milton Keynes). The Local Plan has to show the best way of accommodating this growth; and
   
   
3. The Deposit Local Plan gave the District Council the opportunity to consider a range of new issues and Planning Policy Guidance Notes which had emerged since the existing Local Plan was adopted. These include advice that:
   
   

• the planning system and development plans in particular should help to ensure that development and growth are sustainable;
• best use is made of recycled urban land;
• concerns about the environmental, economic and social problems caused by private car use should be addressed;
• the effect of inappropriate development on the character of the District should be addressed; and
• community benefits from development should be maximised in order to improve people’s quality of life.
  

1.11 Sustainable development can be defined as:

‘Development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs’.

1.12 At an international level, concern for the environment has been growing for a number of years. There has been a growing realisation that to protect the planet for future generations, environment and development issues needed to be dealt with together in a balanced manner. At the Rio Earth Summit in 1992, an Action Plan for sustainable development, ‘Agenda 21’, was drawn up to address the world’s social, environmental, and economic concerns. Two thirds of the actions set out in Agenda 21 need to be carried out at a community level. Local Authorities therefore have a crucial role to play in achieving its aims, and have been called upon to develop their own Agenda 21.

1.13 The European Union’s Fifth Action Programme complements the Rio Declaration and Agenda 21. The EU is exerting increasing influence over British planning through its policies on environmental, social and economic protection and enhancement.

1.14 The Government’s commitment is set out in “A Better Quality of Life: A Strategy for Sustainable Development for the United Kingdom” (1999). The strategy has 4 main aims which are:

• Social progress which recognises the needs of everyone;
• Effective protection of the environment;
• Prudent use of natural resources; and
• Maintenance of high and stable levels of economic growth and employment.
  
  

For the UK there are 7 priorities for the future which are:

• More investment in people and equipment for a competitive economy;
• Reducing the level of social exclusion;
• Promoting a transport system which provides choice, and also minimises environmental harm and reduces congestion;
• Improving the larger towns and cities to make them better places to live and work;
• Directing development and promoting agricultural practices to protect and enhance the countryside and wildlife;
• Improving energy efficiency and tackling waste;
• Working with others to achieve sustainable development internationally.

In so far as these matters are relevant to land use planning, these aims and priorities are incorporated into this Plan.

1.15 The Government’s approach to sustainable development is set out in Planning Policy Guidance Notes 1: General Policy and Principles (PPG1, February 1997), 3: Housing (PPG3, March 2000), 6: Town Centres and Retail Developments (PPG6, June 1996), 13: Transport (PPG13, March 2001); and Regional Planning Guidance for the South East (RPG9, March 2001).

1.16 In response to the above, ‘Wycombe 21 - The Strategic Plan for Wycombe District’ was launched in 1997. Its vision is of a continually improving quality of life for each and every one of the District’s residents, and of a community which works together for the benefit of all. In order to achieve this, Wycombe 21 has concentrated on four key areas which are:

1. A caring community;
2. A healthy environment;
3. A thriving economy; and
4. Value for money.
   
   

Strategic aims have been developed for each of the four key areas. These aims provide the framework for this District Council’s Agenda 21 locally.

The Local Plan sets out to achieve the aims of Wycombe 21, by seeking the creation of:

‘A sustainable planning framework that contributes positively to the pattern of development in the District, balancing the well-being of the District’s residents and their needs for homes and jobs with environmental constraints. The self-sufficiency of communities should be improved, and, by so doing, the need to travel reduced.’

1.17 In accordance with the Council’s resolution in September 1996, the preparation of this new Local Plan has been undertaken in conjunction with extensive sustainability testing. The environmental appraisal of the Adopted District Local Plan in 1995 laid the foundations for this work, which has been used to inform later stages in the process, notably the ‘Comparative Site Assessment’ of strategic sites and the more detailed sustainability appraisal of the Deposit Draft.

1.18 The methodology and the results of the appraisal are contained in the Sustainability Appraisal which was published with the Deposit Draft to enable the environmental implications of the new plan to be fully understood. The Sustainability Appraisal is an integral part of the preparation of this Plan and the two should be read in conjunction for a fuller understanding of the background to the policies.

1.19 The process continued through the Pre-Inquiry changes stage: appraisal is an ongoing and integral part of Plan preparation. The Local Plan is more robust as a result. It has been thoroughly assessed for the compatibility of its policies as well as for its contribution to sustainable development, and its policies are more fully justified and explained.

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1.20 Taking account of the approved Buckinghamshire County Structure Plan, Government Planning Policy Guidance and the Council’s vision to create a sustainable planning framework, the following key development principles have been identified:

1. to promote sustainable forms and locations of development which minimise energy consumption and impact on the environment;
2. to protect and enhance the natural environment of the District and improve the quality of air and water so that the area’s biodiversity is enjoyed by future generations;
3. to provide housing which meets the needs of the local population, reflects local distinctiveness and takes account of community identity;
4. to improve recreation, retail and leisure facilities in accessible locations;
5. to pursue high and stable levels of employment in a modern, diverse and thriving economy;
6. to encourage alternative forms of transport to the private car as part of an integrated transport strategy for the District;
7. to ensure that community benefits made necessary by new development are provided, including affordable housing, community facilities, recreation facilities and local transport improvements; and
8. to protect and enhance the District’s built environment to provide a safe, high quality living environment that respects the District's heritage.

1.21 In applying these development principles at the local level, the following locational principles have been established: (i) to ensure the continued protection of the Metropolitan Green Belt as currently defined and the landscape quality of the Chilterns Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB); (ii) to maintain a broad balance between the location of employment opportunity and homes in order to discourage high levels of commuting; and (iii) to adopt a sequential approach to the location of new development which gives priority to reusing previously developed sites, with the aim of achieving the Government’s target that 60% of new housing development should come forward from this source.

1.22 Through the application of these general development principles and their implementation through more detailed policies, future development will be directed to the existing main centres of population within the District.

1.23 As a result, a broad pattern of development has been established which:(i) directs the majority of new development to the High Wycombe area (which is defined in the approved County Structure Plan as the area excluded from the Green Belt, incorporating High Wycombe, Hazlemere, Tylers Green, Downley, Loudwater and Wooburn Green); (ii) seeks to carefully plan a limited extension of Princes Risborough beyond the Metropolitan Green Belt and Chilterns AONB. This development must link with the existing town, physically and at a community level; and (iii) places an emphasis on the District’s town centres to play a full role in the economic, social and cultural well being of the District. The town centres should be the main locations for development involving significant movements of people, with the greatest potential for the expansion of existing town centres being in High Wycombe.

1.24 The above general development and locational principles should be read in conjunction with the specific objectives relating to each of the topics covered by the Local Plan, contained at the beginning of individual chapters.

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1.25 In preparing the Local Plan, the District Council has taken into consideration current Government Guidance in the form of Planning Policy Guidance Notes (PPGs), and the Good Practice Guide (1992). PPGs may well be updated during the lifetime of the new Adopted Local Plan which will require the Local Authority to continue to monitor the Plan to ensure that it remains up to date.

1.26 Consideration has also been given to guidance contained in RPG9 as well as guidance issued by the Countryside Commission, English Nature, English Heritage, the Environment Agency and other national bodies.

1.27 The Local Plan is required to be in general conformity with the Buckinghamshire County Structure Plan, (adopted March 1996), which provides the strategic framework for development for the District, including housing and employment.

1.28 Preparation of the Local Plan gives local communities and the development industry the opportunity to participate in deciding future planning policy, especially where development should be accommodated. The procedure for the progression of this Local Plan to Adoption is laid out in the 1990 Act and illustrated in Table 1.

1.29 Throughout this process of plan preparation the District Council has, and continues to be, committed to achieving the maximum public understanding and involvement in the plan-making process.

1.30 Under the guidance of Circular 18/91, Local Authorities may incorporate existing policies from previous Local Plans into new District-wide Local Plans. Because the previous Wycombe District Local Plan was adopted so recently, ie, July 1995, many of the detailed policies are relatively up to date, and are therefore included within this Local Plan where they are still considered to be appropriate.

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1.31 The Local Plan consists of a Written Statement and a Proposals Map.

1.32 The Written Statement contains policies to guide the use and development of land which are presented in emboldened upper case, each with its own reference number. These are preceded by explanation and justification paragraphs in lower case.

1.33 Policies appearing in any part of the Written Statement may be applicable to a development proposal. The contents page lists all policies in the Local Plan, and should be referred to in order to identify relevant policies. The Written Statement has been structured in this way in order that all development proposals can be judged against the full range of environmental and other controls. This reflects the District Council’s concern to achieve high quality design and high environmental standards in all developments.

1.34 The Proposals Map shows the entire District Council area which is the subject of this Local Plan. For ease of reference it has been divided into sheets as shown in Figure 1, and there are 6 insets.

1.35 The Written Statement and Proposals Map should be read together to achieve full understanding of the District Council’s policies. In the unlikely event of a contradiction between them, the provisions of the Written Statement prevail. Some areas of the Proposals Map have no specific notation. Development on these sites will be subject to the policies outlined in Chapter 2: General Development, and any other relevant policies in this Local Plan.

1.36 In addition to the above, the policies and supporting text contained within this Local Plan must be read as part of the whole document, rather than taken out of context, and used in isolation.

1.37 In producing a Local Plan it is appropriate to break the policies down into discrete chapters. Inevitably, policies relating primarily to urban areas will appear separately from those in respect of rural areas. This could be considered divisive. However, the Plan should be read together as a whole and it is a desire of the Council to promote closer links between town and country. Whilst there are policies in this Plan which protect the countryside this is for the benefit of the population of the entire District. Furthermore there are policies in this Plan that seek to protect the natural environment within urban areas in order to maintain links with the countryside.

1.38 Cross-references to other policies, paragraphs and the Proposals Map, Appendices or other maps throughout the policies themselves and the supporting text are for guidance only. This does not mean that other parts of the Local Plan are of less significance.

1.39 Documents such as Planning Policy Guidance Notes (PPGs), Circulars and Regional Planning Guidance (RPGs) may well be updated during the lifetime of this Local Plan, and will be taken into account.

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1.40 The Secretary of State sees a continuing role for Supplementary Planning Guidance for development control requirements which are inappropriate for inclusion in a Local Plan because they are too detailed, or are liable to frequent change. When such guidance has been prepared in consultation with the public, has been made the subject of a Council resolution, and is kept publicly available, the Secretary of State will be prepared to take account of it in matters which come to him for decision.

1.41 Supplementary Planning Guidance published prior to the Local Plan has largely been referred to in this Local Plan to provide the fullest information. The District Council is committed to the preparation of further guidance with both the community and development industry, and through ‘development briefing’ will seek to ensure high quality design, local distinctiveness and high environmental standards.

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1.42 The Local Plan is not a financial programme. It establishes the way that the District Council would like to see the area develop to the year 2011, and provides the planning framework for development and investment decisions made by both the public and private sectors.

1.43 It is, however, essential that development provides for the community, transportation, recreational and social housing needs that it generates. This is of growing importance as the ability to accommodate change and development within the District becomes increasingly difficult, as a result of the limitations placed on public services such as transport, schools and sports facilities.

1.44 The requirement that development must meet its wider impacts is made in the knowledge that the Government requires planning gain to be reasonable, relevant and related to the development itself. However, the resources previously available to local communities from the public sector are no longer available to subsidise the local impact of development which must therefore now be far more accountable.

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1.45 The District Council will continue to monitor its policies and proposals, with due regard given to Monitoring Statements including those produced by the District Council on an annual basis. The set of indicators and targets set out below in Table 2 will be employed.

1.46 Finally, although this Local Plan has been designed to control development within the District to 2011, many of the Local Plan’s policies such as the protection of the Green Belt, and the identification of Safeguarded Land will have a relevance stretching far beyond the projected Local Plan period. Many policies have been framed with longer timescales in mind, and will accordingly be given full weight in development control decisions until such a time as they are replaced/modified by a future Local Plan for the District, post 2011.

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Chapter 2: General Development>

<Foreword