Managing the growth agenda for the Vale is the collective priority for Aylesbury Vale Advantage (AVA) and its partners and this Programme of Development builds upon the 2008/09 investment strategy for Aylesbury Vale to ensure that we achieve our vision for a vibrant Aylesbury Vale, with a network of thriving communities, that are sustainable for the future.

This document represents the overview of the collective vision we have developed for the Vale; the delivery challenges we currently face and our plan for overcoming these challenges and priorities for action.

The Programme outlines the range of projects that we seek to secure investment for via engagement with the Government’s Growth Area Fund programme, the Community Infrastructure Funds and public and private organisations to help turn the vision into reality. Achieving a full and timely investment in key infrastructure is essential to delivering sustainable growth and supporting real communities and this is where AVA is focusing its resource.

This Programme of Development is a living and working document that informs the delivery of the annual Business Plan for AVA and as such it is regularly reviewed by members of Aylesbury Vale Advantage Board as part of their responsibility for delivering truly sustainable communities that we can all be proud to have helped shape.

Click here to download the Programme Of Development
Programme for Development of Aylesbury Vale (Sept. 2008)

Colin Buchanan and Partners, Hewdon Consulting and Davis Langdon were jointly commissioned by Buckinghamshire County Council, Aylesbury Vale District Council and  AVA to validate the work which had been largely compiled from work completed by local and county authority officers. They were also asked to explore a range of associated funding issues.

This report and other studies are the subject of review by AVA’s infrastructure programme board as further detail will be required to inform and support future master planning activity for the new housing allocation sites around Aylesbury’s urban fringe.

Aylesbury now has eight cycleways which pass through the town centre from the urban residential areas providing direct and safe access routes to Aylesbury for residents and their families and commuters. All are clearly signposted with the name of each route and the time is will take to cycle to the town centre or other key destination.

Levels of cycling in Aylesbury continues to grow. A success which results in improved health and fitness, lower carbon levels on Aylesbury’s roads and lower travel to work costs!

Up to date information on Aylesbury’s ‘Cycling Revolution’ can be found on www.cycleaylesbury.co.uk which features useful contacts, innovative ideas such as the’ Bike Buddy’ and ‘Cycle Loan’ schemes plus advice on making the most of your bike and details of the Gemstone Cycle Ways.

The project ‘Aylesbury as a Cycle Demonstration Town’ was also funded by Cycling England. This project established Seven ‘Gemstone’ Cycle routes to improve connectivity between the wider urban area and Aylesbury town centre:

• Sapphire Way (Bierton-Aylesbury)
• Aqua Way (Watermead-Aylesbury)
• Ruby Way (Meadowcroft & Quarrendon-Aylesbury)
• Emerald Way (Fairford Leys-Aylesbury)
• Pearl Way (Hartwell-Aylesbury)
• Pebble Way (Stone-Aylesbury)
• Amber Way (Bierton-Aylesbury)

The most recent cycleway to be established was Aqua Way; from Watermead to Aylesbury.

Cycling provision is incorporated into the early design stages of many major infrastructure works taking place in Aylesbury over the next three years. For example, the Berryfields residential development which will have 8km of cycle paths within the estate and will link into the existing Ruby Way cycle route along the A41 into the town centre. Similarly the Coral Way will link into the Weedon Hill development and provide a cycle route into the town centre, while a northern link path will connect the two developments. Bourg Walk bridge has segregated cycling and walking and incorporates the Emerald, Pebble and Pearl Way cycle routes, enabling access to the Train/ Bus Stations and the town centre.

Key facts:

• Cycling is the fastest local mode of transport ‘door to door’ in peak hours
• Aylesbury has 300 FREE cycle storage facilities making bike parking simple
• Regular cyclists enjoy a fitness level equal to that of a person 10 years younger.
• Cycling just once a week instead of taking the car can save you £100’s a year.

Aylesbury’s Transport Hub was officially completed in April 2009 with the opening of the Bourg Walk bridge and the installation of the public art panels along Great Western Street underpass (to the bus station).

Through joint working between Aylesbury Vale District Council and Buckinghamshire County Council, and supported by the government’s Community Infrastructure Fund, this transport hub delivers a wide restructuring of central area bus routes; strategically located bus ‘Super Stops’; new bus lanes; ‘real time’ passenger information systems;and an increase in the frequency and journey times for urban buses.

The bus station has also been re-furbished, including Europe’s largest example of enamel artwork on the walls of the underpass along Great Western Street, making the station brighter and more welcoming.

The combination of the new steel bridge, ‘Bourg Walk’ , the open space pedestrian crossing across Friarage Road and the new rail station boulevard together achieve a ‘high profile impression’ of Aylesbury and integrates the pedestrian and bus access from the train station to the town centre.

This transport infrastructure will deliver the following objectives in the planned growth of Aylesbury:

• Sustainability - to reduce car use, pollution levels and traffic congestion
• Healthy Living – to enable short journeys to be made by bicycle, on foot or via a short walk to a bus stop
• Economic Regeneration – to improve traffic management and vehicle movement

The main beneficiaries are local people and pedestrians. Traffic free zones have been created – in Market Square, for instance – as well as a series of pedestrian friendly road crossings along the ring road. Better Taxi access points, disabled parking and lifts to the train station platforms are also included as is the Urban Traffic Management and Control System. These transport initiatives complement the Cycle Aylesbury programme.

Aylesbury Vale Parkway Station was opened in 2009 and for the future residents of the Berryfields housing development, it provides a direct route to London.  Residents from Steeple Claydon, Westcott, Quainton or Waddesdon who are season ticket holders also beneift because they can simply hop on the Route 16 bus and enjoy a free ride to the station to meet their train.

Adrian Shooter, AVA Board Member and Chairman of Chiltern Railways, said: ‘We are always looking to invest and open new services that give our passengers options and an easier way to travel and Aylesbury Vale Parkway certainly does that.

This new station, with parking for 500 vehicles,integrates car, bus and rail traffic and forms part of Aylesbury’s recently completed integrated transport interchange scheme. This scheme incorporates a public transport hub, a revamped bus station, improved pedestrian and cycle access from the south of the town via Bourg Walk bridge and ring road improvements and provides Aylesbury with a transport system that will support Aylesbury’s current and future growth.

Aylesbury’s Bourg Walk bridge has won The Institution of Civil Engineers Engineering Excellence Award 2009.

The steel architectural design and build of Bourg Walk bridge and the boulevard was enabled by a Government Community Infrastructure Fund grant of approximately £8 million. More than 100 builders were involved over the period of nearly 15 months using some 380 tonnes of steel and 2,615 tonnes of concrete. The bridge itself is 260 metres long and 4.6 metres wide with a mast which stands 35 metres high.

The first impressions of Aylesbury for rail users and pedestrians from the south of the town is now one of space and light. The new landscaping of the station forecourt, the curved staircases leading to the car park, the graceful curved shape of Bourg Walk bridge and the tree lined access to Friarage Road create a positive environment for able and disabled visitors alike.