The Growth, Infrastructure & Housing Select Committee scheduled a meeting to discuss town centre regeneration, the Active Places and Spaces Strategy, and performance monitoring. The meeting was also scheduled to include a Chairman's Update and a discussion of the Committee's work programme.

Town Centre Regeneration

The committee was scheduled to receive an update on town centre regeneration projects. The Buckinghamshire Regeneration Framework, also known as Regeneration Bucks - Transforming for the Future, and a series of town centre regeneration strategies were adopted in October 2023, and this item was to focus on the progress made since then.

Regeneration Bucks sets out two guiding aims for regeneration activities:

• To create vibrant and characterful town centres which celebrate local culture and heritage and offer high quality inclusive public realm where people will want to live, work, visit, shop and relax.
• To create fertile conditions for enterprise and skills to support the launch of new businesses and create the conditions for them to succeed.

The report pack noted that significant progress has been made in Aylesbury, High Wycombe and Chesham.

In Aylesbury, Phase 1 of the Pavilion Quarter was completed, including demolition of the former Gala Bingo Hall, construction of a pedestrian walkway, and a temporary car park. Additionally, improvement works to Market Square and Cambridge Street were completed, and permanent traffic regulation orders were introduced.

In High Wycombe, a £3.1 million public realm enhancement project was completed on White Hart Street, and improvements were made to Red Lion Walk using Future High Street Funding¹. Future High Streets' funding also aided the acquisition and refurbishment of vacant shops and the Guildhall internal upgrade.

In Chesham, public realm interventions included the Station Road Active Travel Project and the Chesham Broadway Sustainable Drainage System² based public realm project.

Active Places and Spaces Strategy

The committee was scheduled to review and evaluate the progress made on the Active Places and Spaces Strategy (2025- 2029). Councillor Peter Brazier, Cabinet Member for Culture & Leisure, and Sophie Payne, Service Director, Culture, Sport and Leisure, were listed as contributors.

The Active Places and Spaces Strategy sets out a vision for good quality, inclusive, enjoyable and sustainable sports and community facilities. It focuses on three shared priorities: improving access, increasing sustainability and stronger partnerships.

Since the strategy was adopted in February 2025, accessibility improvements have been made to several council-operated outdoor play facilities, including Denby Walk Park play area in Aylesbury, Booker Recreation Ground play area in High Wycombe and Whitehill Park.

A joint project between Parks and Leisure/Public Health/High Wycombe Town Committee is underway, to evaluate the introduction of outdoor gym equipment at Booker Recreation Ground. Procurement has also commenced for new teen facilities at Alfred Rose Memorial Park, which is part of the Healthy Schools Neighbourhood project for Elmhurst in Aylesbury.

The council secured a second grant of £433,000 from Sport England's Swimming Pool Improvement Fund, which has enabled the installation of solar PV Cells at Wycombe Leisure Centre.

Engagement with sports clubs, town and parish councils and other stakeholders is currently underway to understand quality, future needs and aspirations in relation to facilities across the county, to inform the development of a new Playing Pitch and Outdoor Sports Strategy and priorities for action.

Wycombe Wanderers FC have been selected as the preferred leaseholder to take on the whole site of the Farnham Park Playing Fields and South Buckinghamshire Golf Course, with a focus on increasing access to sport and expanding the range of activities on offer.

Performance Monitoring

The committee members were scheduled to discuss the Q2 performance report for the year 2025 to 2026 for the Leader, Planning, and Housing portfolios, as well as Culture & Leisure. Councillor Michael Bracken, Deputy Cabinet Member, Planning, and Councillor Peter Brazier, Cabinet Member, Culture & Leisure, were listed as contributors.

Leader's Portfolio

The report included updates on strategic infrastructure projects and engagement with leading Buckinghamshire firms.

• New Strategic Infrastructure projects: percentage of profiled spend achieved - Q2 performance for the percentage of profiled spend achieved for the South-East Aylesbury Link Road³ (SEALR) was 38.2%, which is below the target of 50%.

• New Number of leading Buckinghamshire firms engaged with - Q2 performance (cumulative for the year) for engagement with leading Buckinghamshire firms was 100, which is 66 above the target.

• New Amount of commercial floorspace generated on Enterprise Zones - Q2 performance to date for commercial floorspace generated was 3,448 sqm, which is higher than the delivery profile for the year.

Planning Portfolio

The report included updates on planning enforcement, section 106 contributions⁴, and planning application decisions.

• New Percentage of planning enforcement notice appeals successfully defended - During Q2, the percentage of planning enforcement appeals successfully defended was 71%, which is below the target of 80% and below Q1 performance (100%).
• New Number of uncommitted s106 contributions that must be used within two years - During Q2, the number of uncommitted s106 contributions that must be used within two years was 2, which is above (worse than) the target of 0 and below (better than) Q1 performance of 4.
• New Percentage of major planning applications decided on time - Q2 performance for the percentage of major planning applications decided on time was 82%, which is above the target of 60% and aligned with Q1 performance of 81%.
• New Percentage of non-major planning applications decided on time - Q2 performance for the percentage of non-major planning applications decided on time was 87%, which is above the target of 70% and aligned with Q1 performance of 87%.
• New Percentage of major planning applications overturned on appeal - Q2 performance for the percentage of major planning applications overturned on appeal was 3%, which is below (better than) the target of 10%.
• New Percentage of non-major planning applications overturned on appeal - Q2 performance for the percentage of non-major planning applications overturned on appeal was 1%, which is below (better than) the target of 10%.
• Percentage of Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) Liability Notices issued within 12 weeks of planning permission being granted - During Q1, the percentage of Community Infrastructure Levy⁵ (CIL) Liability Notices issued within 12 weeks was 100%, which is above the target of 70% and the same as Q3 and Q4 performance.

Housing & Regulatory Services Portfolio

The report included updates on temporary accommodation, the housing register, and scams intervention.

• Percentage of households in substantive temporary accommodation - At the end of Q2, the proportion in substantive accommodation was 54%, below the target of 60%.
• New Number of households on the Council's Housing Register (Bucks Home Choice) - At the end of Q2, the number of households on the Council's Housing Register (Bucks Home Choice) was 4,236, which is slightly above the forecast model prediction of 4,000 and is above Q1 performance of 3,566.
• New Financial impact on residents as a result of scams intervention (direct & future savings) - Q1 performance (cumulative for the year) for the financial impact on residents as a result of scams intervention was £124,545 which is below the target of £297,500.
• New Number of rough sleepers - During Q2, the average number of rough sleepers reported across the county was 23, which is below (better than) the target of 30 and above (worse than) Q1 performance of 16.
• New Number of applicants with/expecting children who have been in non-self-contained B&B accommodation for longer than 6 weeks - At the end of Q2, the number of applicants with/expecting children who have been in non-self-contained Bed & Breakfast (B&B) accommodation for longer than 6 weeks was 0, which aligns with the target of 0 and is equal to Q1 performance.

Culture & Leisure Portfolio

The report included updates on engagement with archives, visitors to country parks and cultural venues, and library enquiries.

• New Engagement with Archives through social media and in-person visits - Q2 performance (cumulative for the year) for engagement with archives through social media and in-person visits was 26,012 interactions, which is significantly above the target of 12,000.
• Number of visitors to Country Parks - Q2 performance (cumulative for the year) for the number of visitors to country parks was 663,958, which is 6.8% above the target of 621,654.
• New Number of visits to main cultural venues - Q2 performance (cumulative for the year) for the number of visitors to main cultural venues was 176,468, which is above the target of 161,160.
• New Number of visitors to leisure centres and pools - Q2 performance (cumulative for the year) for the number of visitors to leisure centres and pools was 2,001,635 which is above the target of 1,950,000.
• New Percentage of library enquiries resolved - Q2 performance for percentage of library enquiries resolved was 96% which is above the target of 90%.

Work Programme

The Committee was scheduled to discuss and note the Work Programme for future meetings.