Key moment for Vale of Aylesbury plan

A ‘key stage’ in the progress of the Vale of Aylesbury Local Plan has being reached.
Carole Paternoster ENGPNL00120130524163935Carole Paternoster ENGPNL00120130524163935
Carole Paternoster ENGPNL00120130524163935

The plan, which will help shape the development of the entire Aylesbury Vale, was previously rejected by the government.

Councillors at Aylesbury Vale District Council will be asked to endorse the important ‘issues and options’ document and send it out for public consultation this month.

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This is the second public consultation stage in the local plan’s preparation and it includes nine potential options for distributing new development.

The options include developing an urban extension at Milton Keynes/Bletchley; using land more efficiently by raising the average density of development and developing more homes on a given area of land; creating a new settlement; and a combination of these.

The council says forecast population and economic growth means an estimated 31,000 new homes will be needed by 2033 in Aylesbury Vale.

It is a statutory requirement for all local authorities to prepare a local plan. This must set out planning policies in the authority area and will be important when deciding planning applications.

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Councillor Carole Paternoster, cabinet member for growth strategy, said: “The local plan is an important opportunity to steer future development in the district. Future growth needs to be planned to ensure that we create the sort of confidence that will help attract major investment and ensure that people living in Aylesbury Vale reap the benefits of new business, jobs, affordable housing and other facilities.

“This consultation will give people the chance to help shape the local plan by telling us what they think of our ideas, and raise any issues they think need addressing.”

The issues and options document will go before the Vale of Aylesbury Local Plan scrutiny committee on 14 October, cabinet on 15 October and full council on 21 October.

If approved, the document will be subject to a six-week consultation starting on 23 October in which members of the public will be able to review the proposals on the council’s website www.aylesburyvaledc.gov.uk or come along to one of the public exhibitions where officers will be available to explain the proposals and answer any questions.

There will be two further consultation periods prior to the local plan being considered at a public examination in 2017.