Aylesbury Vale left off 10,000-home new towns scheme as other Bucks regeneration project is authorised
Aylesbury Vale is not one of 12 areas chosen by the Government for its ambitious new towns scheme.
Taskforces were set up by the new ruling party, soon after Labour won a landslide election last year, with a remit to find parts of the UK that could support new towns of at least 10,000 homes.
Teams have been studying areas across the UK to find sites capable of creating new communities where a minimum of 10,000 homes could be built.
This weekend, the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) confirmed 12 suggested locations to take on ambitious new housing developments.
No Aylesbury Vale areas were chosen despite strong speculation that villages and towns in the area were being earmarked for regeneration.
However, Buckinghamshire will be getting an influx of new housing in the first phase of the scheme. It has been recommended that Milton Keynes city centre is regenerated under the scheme and more houses are set to be built to the north and east. As part of the scheme the Government also plans to improve the public transport system in Central Milton Keynes.
It was previously believed, by key political figures in Buckinghamshire, that Winslow, Calvert, or Cheddington might be suggested for the project. Previous comments from Chancellor Rachel Reeves relating to the East West Rail project led some analysts to believe one of the stations included on the soon-to-be launched rail line could be chosen for expansion.
Following yesterday’s announcement MP for Aylesbury Laura Kyrke-Smith said in a statement on social media “I would like to reassure you that it has been confirmed today by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) that, following the task force review, Cheddington is not one of the New Towns that the government plans to move ahead with.”
The new towns scheme is seen as one of the main ways the Government hopes to achieve an ambitious goal of building 1.5m homes to address housing shortages.
Critics of Labour’s housing targets in Buckinghamshire, believe the Government’s policy will make Buckinghamshire a less desirable place to live and could lead to area losing its identify due to an influx of urban sprawl.