Planning reform could create opportunities for Buckinghamshire to meet housing need
New research by Savills highlights significant opportunities to support the delivery of much-needed housing across Buckinghamshire, particularly in areas of greatest affordability pressure, by unlocking development around transport hubs and select grey belt sites.
Housing delivery in Buckinghamshire has slowed sharply in the last two years, from a peak of 3,750 new homes completed in the year to March 2023 to 1,580 completions in the year to March 2025. This latest figure amounts to just 36% of Buckinghamshire’s target of 4,300 homes a year, as set in the government’s Standard Method.
Similarly, affordable housing delivery has started to slow, alongside a shift in tenure from social rent and affordable home ownership to shared ownership and affordable rent at a time when affordability has worsened.
The report considers the significant variation in the housing market across Buckinghamshire, noting that average values range from under £300 per sq. ft. in parts of Aylesbury to nearly £700 per sq. ft. in some southern locations, including Gerrards Cross, Beaconsfield and the Chalfonts.
Buckinghamshire’s Local Plan focuses primarily on high-density developments in the north of the county around Aylesbury, Winslow and Buckingham; despite not being the areas with the greatest affordability pressures, best connectivity and highest market capacity, says Savills.
However, the research suggests that new planning policies in the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) have the potential to create opportunities beyond the Local Plan.
According to the report, strategic development around well-connected railway stations and on suitable grey belt sites could be key to unlocking much-needed additional housing supply in the higher-value and more constrained markets in South Buckinghamshire.
Gaby Foord from Savills Residential Research explains: “The NPPF’s ‘Golden Rules’ provide a mechanism to allow development in more constrained areas. With over 200 potential grey belt sites across Buckinghamshire, this represents an opportunity to improve delivery while providing community benefits such as increased affordable housing, improved infrastructure and accessible green space.
“Additionally, the opening of East-West Rail and the new station at Winslow is a notable opportunity for Buckinghamshire to take advantage of its strategic location in the Oxford-Cambridge Growth Corridor. The new NPPF allows for a default ‘yes’ to proposals to develop land around key commuter stations, which has the potential to unlock development around 14 stations in the county.”
In its research Savills emphasises that increasing housing supply alone is not enough. Future development must respond to the differing needs of existing local communities and incoming residents.
For example, the research shows strong demand in South Buckinghamshire for premium family housing, downsizer accommodation and rental homes. Central Buckinghamshire presents opportunities for mixed-tenure family housing, while North Buckinghamshire remains well suited to volume family housing and affordable homes.
The report identifies a shortage of housing options for middle-income families, first-time buyers and lower-income households, particularly in the south of the county where house prices remain a significant barrier to home ownership. At the same time, Buckinghamshire is attractive to a growing number of young professionals who may benefit from a broader range of purpose-built rented development.
Sarah Fenton, a director in Savills South Central Development team, commented: “Buckinghamshire is at a pivotal moment in shaping its future growth. While the Local Plan has identified sites capable of meeting housing requirements, a strategy that relies too heavily on development in the north of the county risks reinforcing existing spatial imbalances and overlooking valuable opportunities.
“Taking a broader approach to housing delivery could provide a more balanced pattern of development, and support greater choice for residents by bringing forward a wider range of homes across different locations, tenures and price points.
“The challenge, however, is not simply one of identifying land. As we are seeing across the country, viability remains a significant consideration amid planning delays, construction cost inflation and more caution among buyers. To ensure housing targets translate into homes on the ground, it is essential that development opportunities are both deliverable and responsive to market realities.
By unlocking additional sources of supply, particularly in areas of highest demand, Buckinghamshire has the potential to improve affordability, support local communities and create a more resilient housing strategy.”