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Aylesbury Vale Advantage’s (AVA) environment programme team comprising environmental colleagues and planners has been reviewing the wider issues included within the concept environment*; namely sustainability, water supply and energy. AVA acted as consultees in Aylesbury Vale District Council’s production of The Sustainability Appraisal, instigated the Aylesbury’s Water Cycle Strategy and participated in The Strategic Flood Risk Assessments. All these documents informed the structuring of the Local Development Framework (LDF), which as a planning document governs the nature of and location of growth in Aylesbury up until 2026.  The LDF protects Aylesbury Vale’s enviorment;  keeping new housing and commercial development in The Vale to a minimum. The environment team also assists AVA’s Housing and Infrastructure teams in relation to the wider issues of sustainability.

There has been extensive research into the quality of the environment to ensure its future protection where such issues as climate change have been taken into account. The evaluation of the potential for environmental enhancements has also taken into account the need to support recreation and leisure pursuits for the increasing populations in both Aylesbury Vale and surrounding counties. This work has been brought together by The Buckinghamshire Consortia of statutory and charitable agencies. The Buckinghamshire Consortia’s Green Infrastructure Strategy is the result.

AVDC’s Green Infrastructure Strategy for 2008 – 2026 is building on this, at local level, and will inform the planning for growth in the urban area of Aylesbury with reference to the value and quality of green infrastructure and its role of attracting new residents and businesses to the Vale. AVDC’s new strategy will be published later this year.

These two strategies will enable the creation of links between existing and new green spaces from the town centre to the edges of the District, into wider Buckinghamshire and beyond. Such links are valuable for the continuing wellbeing of local wildlife, biodiversity and the health of residents.

* The district of Aylesbury Vale is the largest in Buckinghamshire. Within the district as a whole there is a plethora of small rural villages set amongst large swathes of agricultural land and historic small market towns like Buckingham, Winslow and Whitchurch. Aylesbury Vale also has a wealth of historic houses and key historic landscapes, such as Grade 1 registered park and garden of special historic interest at Stowe and other important historic houses and gardens including Waddesdon Manor and Claydon House. The landscape as the name Vale suggests is low lying which delivers panoramic views from some of the low rolling hills. The Chiltern Hills, an Area of Natural Outstanding Beauty lie to the south of Aylesbury District.  These hills provide the habitat for Muntjac deer and a key location for the reintroduction of Red Kites into the English countryside which are often seen soaring through the sky. This short introduction creates an image of why the Halifax Home Insurance Quality of Life Survey 2007 rated Aylesbury Vale 15th from a total of 408 local authority areas in the UK.