Have your say on the future of Aylesbury Vale

How many new jobs and homes should be created in Aylesbury Vale? That’s the big question that Aylesbury Vale District Council is asking residents in a major consultation set to get underway.

Between 1 December 2011 and 26 January 2012, the district council wants to hear what local people, community groups, parish and town councils and other organisations think is the right level of new housing and jobs in the Vale over the next 20 years.

The move comes after the government announced its intention to abolish the South East Plan, taking with it the requirement to build 1,060 homes a year in Aylesbury Vale. This means it will now be down to the council to make these local decisions for our district.

Over the past few years the district has seen an average of 750 new homes built every year. With regional targets set to be abolished the council is going back to the drawing board to look again at what is the right figure for the number of new jobs and homes for the Vale.

AVDC cannot just say that no more housing will be built, as homes will be needed for young people that have grown up in the Vale and older people that want to stay in the area and downsize after their families have flown the nest.

In addition, the council needs to create a thriving and prosperous district, by attracting new businesses to the Vale. New homes will be required so that people can afford to live in the area and not have to commute in and out every day, making congestion worse.

The consultation will put forward four possible scenarios for housing and job numbers for the Vale to 2031, ranging from 4,500 homes up to 13,500 homes. The options are:
• 4,500 to 6,700 homes and 0 to 3,000 jobs
• 6,750 to 9,000 homes and 3,000 to 6,100 jobs
• 9,000 to 11,250 homes and 6,100 to 9,100 jobs
• 11,250 to 13,500 homes and 9,100 to 12,000 jobs

The proposed figures are all lower than the level of new jobs and homes the council had to plan for in the past. They are based on careful consideration of a number of factors including current and future levels of housing need and affordability; predictions about changes in the population, demographics, births and deaths and changes in household size; how the economy may perform; the number of jobs and houses provided over the past few years; how new housing can support the local economy; and a number of other relevant studies and evidence.

Planners have put forward the figures as part of work on a new planning policy for the district over the next 20 years called the Vale of Aylesbury Plan. Planning applications will be judged against this once it is approved and finalised in about two years time.

People are also being asked to comment on how new homes might be distributed across the Vale. The options are:
• Continue past trends: based upon where recent development has taken place in the district
• Economic led: based on economic forecasts for where jobs growth is most likely to occur
• New settlement: based on concentrating homes at one or two theoretical new settlements in the district
• Population and demographic change: based on ten year population trend projections
• Housing need: based on affordable housing needs analysis, putting growth where housing need is greatest
• Maintain work age population: based on demographic need projections
• Urban concentration: concentrating new homes in the more urban areas of the district, which continues the council’s present policy approach

Councillor Carole Paternoster, Cabinet Member for Strategic Planning, said: “We must balance the need to protect the environment of the district with our communities’ jobs and housing needs, and the infrastructure which is essential to make it all work. Building new homes is an emotive issue and it is only right that we go back to the drawing board, look at the needs of our district and ask people what they think is the right number of new houses and jobs for the Vale. I look forward to hearing residents’ views on the options for the jobs and housing numbers we are putting forward.”

To ensure the consultation will engage with as many people as possible, three drop-in sessions will be held so that residents can talk with planning officers about the content of the document. The sessions will take place at:
• Aylesbury Waterside Theatre – Tuesday 10 January, from 3pm to 8pm
• Buckingham Community Centre – Wednesday 11 January, from 3pm to 8pm
• The Winslow Centre – Wednesday 18 January, from 3pm to 8pm

Comments must be received by Thursday 26 January 2012. The responses will then feed into the work on the Vale of Aylesbury Plan, alongside the engagement that the council is currently undertaking with parish and town councils, key stakeholders and technical evidence. There will be a further opportunity to comment later in 2012 as the plan moves forward.