The Strategic Sites Committee scheduled a meeting to discuss a hybrid planning application for land between Longwick Road and Mill Lane in Princes Risborough. The meeting was also scheduled to confirm the minutes of the previous meeting and to set the date for the next one.

Planning Application 18/06916/FULEA: Land Between Longwick Road & Mill Lane

A hybrid planning application for land between Longwick Road and Mill Lane in Princes Risborough was scheduled to be discussed. Bloor Homes And Landowners are listed as the applicant.

The application seeks:

• Outline planning permission for the erection of up to 390 dwellings, public open space, landscaping and sustainable drainage systems, with principal means of access to be determined and all other matters reserved.
• Full planning permission for details of the main access road off Longwick Road, extending 190m in a north-easterly direction, and associated drainage.

The recommendation in the report pack was to delegate the application to the Director of Planning and Environment for approval subject to a legal agreement and planning conditions. If a satisfactory legal agreement could not be completed, the recommendation was to refuse the application.

Site Details

The site is located to the northwest of Princes Risborough, approximately 18.4 hectares in size, and lies between Longwick Road and Mill Lane. The railway line between Princes Risborough and Aylesbury borders the southern site boundary, and the hamlet of Alscot is to the northwest.

The site is currently six agricultural fields, defined by hedgerows, mainly used as pasture. A public right of way crosses the site from southeast to northwest, leading from the residential street of Westmead via a gated pedestrian at-grade crossing of the railway line. There is also a bridleway that runs broadly northeast to southwest through the site, running alongside the Crowbrook stream and then hugging the boundary with the cluster of homes at Alscot.

The application site is located within the main expansion area, part of the Princes Risborough area of comprehensive development, which is allocated for residential development and other uses to support the major expansion of the town, as per Policy PR3 of the Wycombe District Local Plan 2019.

Proposed Development Details

The hybrid planning permission sought comprises two elements:

1. Outline planning permission for up to 390 homes, with principal means of access to be determined and all other matters reserved. The outline element also includes the provision of public open space, landscaping and sustainable drainage.
2. Full planning permission for details of the main access road extending 190m into the site off the Longwick Road.

The full application element includes:

• A new priority junction from Longwick Road
• Carriageway width of 6.25m
• A 3m shared foot/cycle route on the southeastern side of the new access road
• A 2m footway and 2m verge on the northwestern side of the new access road
• Attenuation drainage basin
• Landscape concept drawing

Access to the site for pedestrians, cyclists and vehicles would be created from Longwick Road and Mill Lane.

Policy Considerations

The report pack noted that in considering the application, regard must be had to Section 38(6) of the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004, which requires that planning applications are determined in accordance with the development plan unless material considerations indicate otherwise.

The development plan to which this application relates comprises of:

• Wycombe District Local Plan 2019
• Wycombe District Adopted Delivery and Site Allocations Plan 2013
• Buckinghamshire Minerals and Waste Local Plan 2019

The following supplementary planning documents (SPD) are also material considerations for the determination of the application:

• Princes Risborough Expansion SPD (PRE SPD), 2021
• Air Quality SPD, 2020
• Residential Design Guidance, 2017
• Canopy Cover Supplementary Planning Document, 2020
• Planning Obligations Supplementary Planning Document, 2020

Key Issues

The report pack identified a number of key issues for consideration:

• Principle and Location of Development: The report pack stated that residential development on this site is acceptable and would accord with the site's allocation as part of the wider Princes Risborough Expansion Area.
• Housing Supply, Affordable Housing and Housing Mix: The Council cannot currently demonstrate a 5-year supply of deliverable housing sites, triggering the presumption in favour of sustainable development set out in paragraph 11(d) of the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF). The scheme would make a significant contribution to housing supply. Policy DM24 requires that 48% of the new homes are provided as affordable dwellings.
• Transport Matters and Parking: The development is acceptable in transport terms, subject to a number of planning conditions and securing transport mitigation measures and off-site highway works within a legal agreement.
• Raising the quality of place making and design: Layout, scale, appearance and landscaping and access (on the wider site) are all reserved for future assessment and determination.
• Amenity of existing and future residents: It is considered that the quantum of development proposed will ensure that a suitable living environment for future occupiers will be created.
• Environmental issues: Subject to planning conditions, the development would not raise pollution issues.
• Flooding and drainage: Subject to the imposition of planning conditions the development is acceptable in flood risk terms and would accord with policy PR7 and DM39.
• Landscape and visual Impact: There will be inevitable landscape character effects across the site due to the change of use from agricultural to residential. However, this impact would reduce over time as the new landscape matures, and the development becomes a recognised part of the existing wider residential area.
• Ecology and biodiversity: The development is acceptable in ecological and biodiversity aspects subject to the imposition of planning conditions and securing biodiversity enhancements, management and monitoring within a legal agreement.
• Historic environment: The Heritage Officer is satisfied that the development would not harm the significance or setting of the Alscot Conservation Area as a designated heritage asset.
• Archaeology: A planning condition is necessary to secure appropriate investigation, recording, publication and archiving of the results to accord with paragraph 218 of the NPPF.
• Building sustainability: To ensure that suitable renewable technologies are integrated into the development a planning condition is necessary to secure the final detail and implementation of a renewable technologies scheme.
• Public open space: The scheme is however deficient in the provision of outdoor sport open space and allotments. As such, in order to mitigate for the need arising from the development and to ensure delivery of the total infrastructure requirements for the expansion area, a financial contribution secured within a legal agreement is sought towards sports and allotment provision within the wider expansion area.
• Infrastructure and Developer Contributions: The development would provide and/or contribute towards the infrastructure that is required for this first phase of development. It would deliver this and therefore mitigate the impact arising from the development.

Recommendation

The recommendation in the report pack was that the application be delegated to the Director of Planning and Environment for approval subject to the satisfactory completion of a legal agreement to secure the planning obligations listed in the report, and the imposition of planning conditions.

Minutes

The committee was also scheduled to agree the minutes of the Strategic Sites Committee meeting held on 31st July 2025.

Date of Next Meeting

The date of the next meeting was scheduled for 30th September 2025.