Evidence Base Studies and Other Supporting Documents

The Council has conducted or commissioned various studies to provide a robust and credible evidence base for the South Bucks Local Development Framework, including the Core Strategy. A number of relevant studies have also been prepared by Buckinghamshire County Council.

The evidence base studies have been used in preparing the South Bucks Core Strategy, ensuring that the spatial strategy and related Core Policies are sound. These studies address issues including housing need, housing land supply, development viability, townscape character, employment land, infrastructure requirements and many more. The evidence studies listed below are divided into different topic areas:

Housing and Gypsy and Travellers:

• Strategic Housing Land Availability Assessment (in-house, 2009)
• Strategic Housing Market Assessment (Fordham Research, 2008)
• Needs Assessment for Travelling Showpeople (Tribal, on behalf of Bucks local authorities, 2007)
• Gypsy and Traveller Accommodation Needs Assessment for the Thames Valley region (Tribal, on behalf of ActvaR, 2006)
• Development Economics Study (Three Dragons, 2007)
• Development Economics Study (Three Dragons, updated 2010)
• Overall Affordable Housing Target - Background Paper

Employment and Retail:

• Bucks Employment Land Review (DPDS Consulting Group & GWE Research, 2006)
• Employment Land Review, Update (in-house, 2010)
• Joint Retail and Town Centre Study (Nathaniel Lichfield and Partners 2007)
• Joint Retail and Town Centre Study Update (Nathaniel Lichfield and Partners 2009)
• Range of Employment Sites in South Bucks

Transport, Infrastructure and Accessibility:

• Evaluation of Transport Impacts (Atkins, 2010)
• Accessibility and Infrastructure Study (in-house/Halcrow Group Ltd, 2006)
• Bucks Infrastructure Project Phase 2 Final Report (Michael Ling, 2008)
• Bucks Infrastructure Study – Phase 2: Southern Buckinghamshire (Colin Buchanan & Hewdon Consulting, 2008)
• Infrastructure Planning and Delivery Background Paper (in-house, 2010)
• Transport Paper – South Bucks District Transport Strategy (BCC, 2010) 
• Transport Paper – Iver and Richings Park Area (BCC, 2010)
• Transport Paper – East of Beaconsfield Area (BCC, 2010)

Environment and Flood Risk:

• Strategic Flood Risk Assessment Levels 1 and 2 (Jacobs, 2008)
• PPS 25 Sequential Test and Exception Test for Mill Lane, Taplow (in-house, 2010)
• Habitats Regulations Assessment (UE Associates, 2010)
• Assessment of the Scope for Promoting Energy Efficiencies in the Existing Housing Stock (in-house, 2010)
• Townscape Character Study - Part One (Chris Blandford Associates, 2010)
• Bucks & Milton Keynes Historic Landscape Characterisation Study
• The Evidence Base for Sustainable Energy Policies in the South East
• Landscape Character Assessment 2011

Sustainability Appraisal

Other Evidence Base Studies:

• Settlement Hierarchy Study (in-house, 2008)
• Open Space, Sports and Recreational Facilities Study (Land Use Consultants, 2008)
• Development Economics Analysis of Opportunity Sites (Kempton Carr Croft, 2010)
• Major Developed Sites in the Green Belt Background Paper (in-house, 2010)

Other Supporting Documents:
Apart from the Evidence Base Studies, there are other supporting documents which are relevant to the preparation of the Local Development Framework. They include:

• South Bucks Sustainable Community Strategy (2009)
• Buckinghamshire Local Transport Plan 2 2006-2011 (Bucks County Council)
• Sustainability and Climate Change Strategy (in-house, 2008)
• Draft River Basin Management Plan - Thames River Basin District (Environment Agency 2008)
• South Bucks Contaminated Land Strategy (in-house)
• Buckinghamshire and Milton Keynes Biodiversity Action Plan 2000-2010 (BCC)
• Landscape Plan for Buckinghamshire Part 1: Landscape Character Assessment (BCC)
• BCC Population Projections 2006-2026 (University of Manchester, 2007)
• Buckinghamshire Sport Facilities Strategy(Torkildsen Barclay, 2007)