New local plan examination: supporting evidence

As a part of the process of preparing the Wycombe District Local Plan, we referred to and were informed by a number of documents that collectively form the evidence base for the examination. 

These are grouped into six categories:

  1. Submission documents, which includes the Wycombe District Local Plan itself as well as other key documents such as the sustainability appraisal
  2. Topic papers, which set out the relationship between the evidence and explain how we have arrived at the decisions we made in the local plan
  3. Technical studies, which further subdivides into a number of categories, and contains the key evidence behind our decisions
  4. Previous consultation documents, which contains previous drafts of the Wycombe District Local Plan and the Princes Risborough Town Plan
  5. Adopted Development Plan documents and other statutory documents, which contains our existing Local Plan and other documents which together form the Development Plan for the Wycombe District
  6. Other documents, which contains our Corporate Plan as well as key Cabinet decisions and appeal decisions

1. Submission documents

The Wycombe District Local Plan

Sustainability appraisal

Habitats regulations assessment

Equality impact assessment

Infrastructure delivery plan

Legal compliance and soundness self-assessment

Duty to cooperate

Representations made on the Wycombe District Local Plan (Regulation 19) publication version

Statement of consultation

Other submission documents

2. Topic papers

Topic papers explain how the strategy presented by the Wycombe District Local Plan has developed and the information, evidence, and feedback that has informed the choices made in formulating the policies, and also set out what we foresee as the key issues, and how these have been resolved.

3. Technical studies

The Wycombe District Local Plan was informed by a wealth of technical evidence across a wide range of different topics and areas. These technical studies are set out on a topic by topic basis in this section.

Sustainability appraisal/strategic environmental appraisal

A sustainability appraisal has been produced in parallel with the preparation of the new local plan. This is because local plans are likely to have significant environmental, social, and economic effects. A sustainability appraisal ensures that potential environmental effects are given full consideration alongside social and economic issues.

The main sustainability appraisal of the Wycombe District Local Plan and its non-technical summary are included with the submission documents in section 1. submission documents. This section contains the drafts which informed the final sustainability appraisal and previous stages of the Wycombe District Local Plan. 

Settlement hierarchy study

The settlement hierarchy study is an assessment of all the settlements in the district to assess the role they play and allow a judgement on their ability to accommodate growth.

Housing market area/functional economic market area

A report was jointly commissioned by the four Buckinghamshire district councils (Aylesbury Vale, Chiltern, South Bucks and Wycombe) to identify the housing market area(s) (HMA) and functional economic market area(s) (FEMA) that the Bucks districts lie within.

Housing and economic development needs

The Buckinghamshire Housing and Economic Development Needs Assessment (HEDNA) sets out the housing and economic development needs for the Buckinghamshire housing market area and functional economic market area, consisting of Aylesbury Vale, Wycombe, Chiltern, and South Bucks districts.

Retail

The town centres and retail study appraises the district's town centres, estimates the scope for new retail floorspace and provides recommendations for a strategy for retail policy in the district.

Housing and economic land supply

Housing and economic land availability assessment (HELAA)

The housing and economic land availability assessment (HELAA) helps to identify future sources of land to help meet the district's development needs. It is a technical study of all potential housing, economic, and retail sites within Wycombe district. 

Other housing supply

Housing delivery

Economic development

Green belt review

Area of outstanding natural beauty (AONB) study

We have produced a report which assesses whether there are any opportunities to meet our housing and economic development needs that should be identified in the local plan for villages that are located within the Chiltern’s AONB but are not within the green belt.

Landscape

Gypsies, Travellers, and Travelling Showpeople

Transport

Buckinghamshire countywide traffic modelling

High Wycombe transport studies

Princes Risborough transport studies

Flood risk and water

Green infrastructure

Heritage

Infrastructure and delivery

Viability

Princes Risborough specific evidence

Reserve sites development briefs and technical studies

4. Previous consultation documents

5. Adopted Development Plan documents and other statutory documents

6. Other documents

Memoranda of understanding

Corporate plans

Appeal decisions and legal opinion

Cabinet and committee reports