The Aylesbury Southern Growth Arc masterplan, which is in its very early stages of development, outlines proposals for around 9,300 new homes, associated new employment floorspace, schools, new parks and open spaces, transport improvements and other essential infrastructure.

An area of 'greenfield' land between the A418 Oxford Road and the A41 Aston Clinton Road has been identified as a possible location for long-term development, although a final decision will not be made by AVDC until June.

Members of the public and local organisations were given the opportunity to comment on the southern growth arc during a public consultation held last summer on the preferred options for future housing growth in Aylesbury Vale.

AVDC has been analysing and summarising the responses received to the consultation. The results of the public consultation process will be published in March.

The government requires Aylesbury Vale to expand by more than 20,000 new homes by 2026 and AVDC is putting together a set of new development documents, called the Local Development Framework (LDF), that will help guide and manage growth and change over the next 20 years. Planners are now drawing up the detailed LDF planning documents and policies for submission to the government in the summer.

Under the new plan making system, the submission has to be backed up by evidence to demonstrate that the growth option recommended by AVDC can be delivered. The Aylesbury Southern Growth Arc masterplan is one part of this evidence gathering.

The masterplan will cover principles of layout, infrastructure requirements and establish broad urban design principles. It will also show how sustainable communities can be delivered by providing all the necessary infrastructure including schools, health and community facilities, transport and leisure facilities and measures to enable the integration of new and existing communities.

Council officers have been working with consultants to develop the masterplan. The first draft of the document was considered by the council's environment scrutiny committee this week and their comments will be fed into the masterplan process.

The council will engage with representatives of those local communities most affected by the southern growth arc to enable them to help shape the emerging masterplan before it is submitted.

Cllr Carole Paternoster, Cabinet Member for Strategic Planning, said: "The government has given AVDC large scale growth at Aylesbury and a tight timescale in which to develop the necessary planning policies. This draft masterplan shows one possible way in which these 9,300 dwellings, plus infrastructure, can be accommodated on greenfield sites to the south of Aylesbury.

"It is very important that these new dwellings are delivered in a managed way. We must make sure that we can put in place all the necessary infrastructure, such as jobs, roads, public transport links, green spaces, health facilities, schools and shops, not only to support our new residents, but also to enhance the quality of life of our existing residents."

In June, AVDC will decide where the new growth should go and this will be submitted to the government in July. At the same time as the council submits its plans to the government's planning inspector (in the form of the Core Strategy and Aylesbury Allocated Sites Document), it will also carry out a six week public consultation on the proposals.

Comments from this consultation will be given to the inspector, in readiness for the Examination in Public in January 2009. It is anticipated that the inspector's report will be published in August 2009.

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