Issue - decisions

Cabinet considered a report on 7 June 2022 seeking approval to submit an Outline Planning Application for a proposed residential development at the site of the former Buckinghamshire County Council Community Sports and Social Club land.  The minutes of that meeting are accessible here.  Cabinet had resolved:

“That approval to submit an Outline Planning Application for the proposed residential development at the site of the former Buckinghamshire County Council Community Sports and Social Club land be AGREED.”

Cabinet‘s decision had been called in by Councillor Christensen and been supported by 23 Councillors.  The call-in and pre-planning consultation document had been considered at a meeting of the Growth, Infrastructure and Housing Select Committee on 5 July, which had referred the decision back for further consideration by Cabinet relating to the pre-planning consultation document before any decision was taken.

Cabinet considered a further report and during discussions the Leader asked all Cabinet Members individually to confirm that they had read and considered the pre-planning consultation document on the former Buckinghamshire County Council Community Sports and Social Club land that was included with the agenda papers.  All Cabinet Members confirmed that they had done this.

Following re-consideration of the Cabinet report, the pre-planning consultation document and feedback and the information in the confidential part of the agenda, it was –

RESOLVED –

(1)               That theService Director for Property and Assets, in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Accessible Housing and Resources,be authorised to instruct the submission of an Outline Planning Application consisting of up to 100 residential units including 30% affordable Housing, a new road link between Booker Park School and Lower Road, an increase in size of the existing access road to Lower Road and the provision of a sports and leisure area for community and school use.

(2)               That it be NOTED that this site is Council owned land and provides an opportunity to provide services to the benefit of Buckinghamshire residents, such as affordable and keyworker housing in excess of statutory requirements and homes for clients of adults and children’s services that cannot be imposed on privately owned development sites.

(3)               That, should an outline planning application be successful, the Service Director for Property and Assets, in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Accessible Housing and Resources and relevant service Directors and Heads of Service, be authorised to develop a draft and bring forward a proposed detailed development scheme for further consideration by Cabinet.

Note: The Leader requested that the Growth, Infrastructure and Housing Select Committee be informed of Cabinet’s decision and outcome of the meeting.

The former Bucks CC Sports and Social Club was located off Lower Road in Stoke Mandeville.  It was approximately 3.7 hectares in size. The Site currently comprised a closed club house surrounded by open land which had formerly been used as sports pitches and tennis courts. The former Sports and Social Club Land had remained unused for some years and as it currently stood represented a drain on the Council’s resources in ensuring public safety while enforcing security.

The proposal was for the demolition of all existing structures and the Outline Planning Application set the scene for the future development in seeking consent for the construction of up to approximately 100 residential units with a re-provision for open space for day-to-day use and includes the LPA’s statutory requirement that 30% of that number be affordable accommodation. Consent was also sought for improving the main access road and extending the main estate road to provide Booker Park School with a second vehicular access point that would greatly relieve congestion adjacent to the existing school entrance.

The scheme had been revised following pre-app advice and then again following consultation with Stoke Mandeville Parish Council and SMPC’s retained architects. There would likely be further detailed refinements, but the hope was that the quantum of development was now fairly settled.  The specific uses of the residential units were not referenced in this application as they would be dealt with as reserved matters once the mix of accommodation was agreed.

The Stoke Mandeville site was also identified as the preferred location for a new primary electricity substation which was part of Bucks Council’s HIF investment programme and was targeted to bring in substantial HIF funding, that would hugely benefit the Council and Buckinghamshire residents and supported the future growth of Aylesbury by alleviating any existing grid capacity constraints. A separate planning application would be submitted soon by UK Power Networks.

An Outline Planning Application was intended to preserve the flexibility of future design and composition of the development and represents a good opportunity to provide mainly affordable and key worker homes in an ideal location due to the proximity with Stoke Mandeville Hospital.  This same specific location provided a rare prospect to include a provision for bespoke and adaptable housing for the special exigent needs of clients of both adults and children’s services.

RESOLVED –

That approval to submit an Outline Planning Application for the proposed residential development at the site of the former Buckinghamshire County Council Community Sports and Social Club land be AGREED.