Aston Clinton Fact Pack September 2011

Home , Aston Clinton, Aylesbury Vale, Chivery, Marsworth

The Vale of Aylesbury Plan Aston Clinton Fact Pack September 2011

London Road

Contents

Section Page

1 Introduction page 3 2 Location and Setting page 6 3 Story of Place page 8 4 Fact File page 10 5 Issues Facing the Parish page 33 6 Parish Constraints page 34 7 Annex page 38

1. Introduction

Purpose of the document

This Fact Pack document was initially produced in 2010 to help inform the town/parish council about the characteristics of their parish for the ‘community view’ consultation. This consultation was undertaken early on in the preparation of the Vale of Aylesbury Plan as part of a bottom up approach embracing localism and aiming to get local communities more involved in the planning process. The town/parish council were asked to consult with their community on the following:

 The level of future housing and/or employment development up to 2031, including specific types of homes, employment and other development  The location, sizes and phasing of development  The types of infrastructure (social, community, physical) needed to enable development, including where it should be located  Any other issues relating to planning and development

This Fact Pack document has also been used to support neighbourhood planning by providing evidence for the context of the neighbourhood plan, including information on housing, employment, infrastructure and the environment.

This Fact Pack document has also been used to support the Vale of Aylesbury Plan Settlement Hierarchy Assessment. This forms part of the evidence that classifies settlements into different categories, where different levels of growth are apportioned to over the next 20 years.

The document also forms part of the background work relating to Neighbourhood Plans as well as the production of the Vale of Aylesbury Plan. The Fact Pack does not form planning policy for Aylesbury Vale.

What the Fact Pack includes

The content of the Fact Pack reflects the size of the parish or town, providing the most detail for larger villages/towns which are likely to experience greater levels of growth, compared to smaller parishes/villages which are likely to experience less growth. Smaller parish’s Fact Packs have a more limited content in the Fact Packs. Fact Packs for larger villages/towns identify the following information:

 Location and setting within the district (relationship to other settlements)  Story of place (how the parish has developed from its origins to the present day)  Issues facing the parish (e.g. infrastructure and local services deficits)  Social demographics (population, age profile, social groups, levels of deprivation and crime levels)

 Economic profile (allocated employment sites, change of use to employment looking back 5 years, sectors of employment, levels of economic activity, distances travelled to work and broadband speeds)  Local service provision (retail, healthcare, leisure, public open space, tourism, and education)  Housing profile (dwelling types, tenure, occupancy, past completions and commitments, average house prices, housing needs waiting list and gypsy and traveller sites)  Transport infrastructure (road network, cars per household, public transport provision)  Environmental constraints (maps to identify agricultural land quality, landscape sensitivities, biodiversity constraints, flooding and historic constraints)

Fact Packs for smaller parishes/villages identify the following information:

 Location and setting within the district (relationship to other settlements)  Social demographics (population and age profile)  Housing profile (dwelling types, tenure, occupancy, past completions and commitments, average house prices, housing needs waiting list and gypsy and traveller sites)  Economic profile (employment change of B use classes looking back 5 years, sectors of employment and levels of economic activity)  Issues facing the parish (e.g. infrastructure and local services deficits)  Environmental constraints (maps to identify agricultural land quality, landscape sensitivities, biological constraints, flooding and historic constraints)

Where possible information in the Fact Pack has been supplemented with information from the town/parish council to draw upon local knowledge, particularly for the section on issues relating to the parish. Some town/parish councils have also published the document on their website for the community to view and use.

In addition to this Fact Pack, a district wide Fact Pack has been written to develop an understanding at the strategic level on the availability of infrastructure, services, facilities, planning issues and environmental constraints. This can be viewed on our website1.

Availability of data

Statistics identified in the Fact Pact are primarily from Census data (2001), AVDC monitoring data (updated annually) and research carried out by Buckinghamshire County Council. There are also a number of websites that have been used to retrieve information, such as crime statistics, broadband coverage and housing sales. Where possible, parish level data has been used. If this level of data is not available super output area (SOA) boundaries or ward boundaries have been used (often these cover a larger area than just the settlement). The boundaries of the parish, SOA and ward can be viewed on map 1 in this document.

1 District Fact Pack http://www.aylesburyvaledc.gov.uk/local-development-plans/planning-policy/vale-of- aylesbury-plan-/fact-packs/

This Fact Pack is a ‘living document’ which is intended to be regularly updated. Information contained within the Fact Pack is correct at the time of writing. It is acknowledged that some of the information may change over time and the Fact Packs will be updated accordingly.

2. Location and Setting

The large village of Aston Clinton lies along the former A41 London – Birkenhead Road about 3.4 miles east of Aylesbury and 2.5 miles west of Tring. The former A41 is now an unclassified road as the village was bypassed in the early 2000’s as part of the route improvements between Junction 20 on the M25 and the A41 east of Aylesbury. Most of the built up part of the village is on the northern side of the former A41.

Aston Clinton is one of a number of satellite villages that form an arc around Aylesbury. Aston Clinton is set within the wider Vale of Aylesbury landscape close to the foot of the Chilterns. To the south west of the village the land rises quite sharply forming the Chiltern escarpment which provides extensive views over the village and the Vale.

Location map

Super Output Area 7632 Super Output Area 7629

Super Output Super Super Area 7631 Output Output Super Area 7630 Area 7628 Output Area 7627

Key

Ward boundary Super Output Areas Boundaries Parish Boundary

Facts and figures have been identified relating to three different geographical boundaries depending on the source of the information. In general all Census data is provided at parish level, AVDC Local Area Profile data relates to Super Output Areas (SOA) and Hometrack Housing Intelligence System data relates to the ward level.

Please note the 2011 Census will take two years to publish, as such this data will not be available until 2013.

In the case of Aston Clinton the parish, ward and Super Output Areas (SOA) form eight different boundaries. There are five SOA’s within the Aston Clinton Ward.

3. Story of Place

Origins of the settlement

The history of this village dates back to before the Domesday Book of 1086. Though it may have been settled in even before the Roman invasion of Britain, Aston Clinton probably began as a community where the Roman road, Akeman Street (the former A41) crossed the pre‐historic Icknield Way (now Weston Road and/or Lower Icknield Way and/or B4009). With the decline of the Roman Empire, the Saxons took over the settlement, this was confirmed by the discovery of a Saxon cemetery in the area. The Domesday Book listed the village as Estone (Eastern Estate).

The parish church, St Michael and All Angels dates from the 12th century, it had further additions in the 13th and 14th centuries and was fully restored in the 19th century (1867).

In the 13th century the manor was owned by the Clinton family and the name was changed to Aston de Clinton. The medieval parish included the manors of Dundridge (now to the south of the Parish within Chiltern District Source: ADVC, 2010, Church of St Michael and All Angels Council area). Chivery (to the south of the main village in the Chiltern Hills), Vaches (located to the west of the main village off the Aylesbury Road) and St Leonards (as Dundridge).

The common fields of Aston Clinton were inclosed by Act of Parliament, the award being dated 14 November 1816. Sir Anthony de Rothschild moved into the area in 1853 and purchased Aston Clinton House (although the house has since been demolished the grounds and outbuildings remain as the Green Park complex – see below). The Anthony Hall, was built in 1884 and later donated to Aston Clinton by Lady Louise Rothschild in memory of her husband.

One of the village’s claims to fame is that it gave part of it’s name to the Aston Martin car. Before hill climbs on public highways were stopped in 1923, Aston Hill (towards the southern end of the parish, off the B4009) hosted an event for Source: AVDC, 2010, Anthony Hall during 20 years, which the co‐founder of a motor company, Lional Martin, had great success and named his company Aston Martin in respect. Strawplaiting used to be an important industry in the village, but gradually died out in the early part of the 20th Century.

Post 1945 development to 2000

As with many settlements significant new housing development increased after the Second World War with the local authority house building programme. In the 1950’s, local authority housing began to fill in behind London Road and Lower Icknield Way (Beaconsfield & Rosebery Roads).

Further infilling of the village continued in the 1960’s and early 1970’s with much of the land between London Road, Brook Street, Green End Street and south of New Road being developed.

There is limited employment opportunity within the village although there is a long standing concentration of industrial concerns outside the settlement along College Road.

Developments in the last 10 years

With the infilling of much of the larger gaps in the village, new housing schemes from the 1990’s onwards have been more limited and relate to the redevelopment of existing sites – schemes such as Dean Way (off Lower Icknield Way) and The Burnhams (off Weston Road),

Current Planning Consent

As at the end of March 2011 there were valid planning permissions for 22 dwellings (either new build or conversion) in the parish (Please note 2011 monitoring information for commitments and completions includes permissions to the end of March 2011).

4. Fact File

Social Demographics

Population  Aston Clinton has a parish population of 3,542 people (Census, 2001), with a village population of 3,369 (AVDC Settlement Audit, 2008), split between 49% male and 51% female.

 The most recent data from the Office for National Statistics for the Super Output Area for 7631 (1,507 people), 7627 (1,568 people) and 7629 (1,594 people) estimates the population at mid‐2009 to be 4,669. Please note this includes the settlements of Buckland and Drayton Beauchamp, as seen on the location map.

Age profile

1200 1000 800 600 400 200

Number ofpeople 0 People aged People aged People aged People aged People aged People aged People aged 0-4 5-15 16-24 25-44 45-64 65-74 75 and over

Source: 2001 Census, www.ons.gov.uk, © Crown copyright

 The graph above for Aston Clinton parish shows that this parish is in line with the rest of the district in terms of the number of 13‐19 year olds (9%), but there are an above average number of people in each of the 35‐50, 51‐64 and 65+ categories (AVDC Local Area Profiles, 2006).

 The age profile for the village shows the majority in the 25‐44 age band.

Population change since 1951

 The graph overleaf for Aston Clinton parish shows, since 1951, the population has continually increased, with the greatest increase by 678 people between 1971 and 1981.

 Most of the parish population live in the village and in small ribbons of development along the Aylesbury Road and B4009 at Aston Hill, with the remainder in a scattering of properties in the Chiltern Hills to the south

 There are 1,537 dwellings in the Aston Clinton parish (AVDC, March 2010).

Aston Clinton Population Change from 1951 to 2001

4000 3500 3000 People 2500 of 2000 1500

Number 1000 500 0 1951 1961 1971 1981 1991 2001

Year

Source: 2001 Census, www.ons.gov.uk, © Crown copyright

Social Groups

A Classification of Residential Neighbourhoods (ACORN) developed by the Bucks Strategic Partnership shows the distinct groups of people that live within Buckinghamshire. The county is made up of 10 groups of households whose residents all have very different demographic characteristics and lifestyles. This means that from the results it would be possible to identify that more affluent groups are likely to have very different public service needs from those less affluent groups. The different ACORN group types are explained at http://www.buckscc.gov.uk/bcc/knowing‐bucks/research/acorn.page

ACORN Social Groups Wealthy mature professionals Villages with wealthy commuters 1% 5% 3% 8% Well‐off managers 13% 14% Affluent Greys Flourishing Families

4% Urban Professionals Secure Families

23% Settled Suburbia/Prudent Pensioners

Moderate Means 27% 2% Hard Pressed

Source: Bucks Strategic Partnership, 2010

 Aston Clinton ward has a varied population profile, people from each of 10 the Bucks ACORN Groups feature in it. A large proportion of this ward is affluent, nearly three quarters (74%) live in the five wealthiest Groups in Buckinghamshire. The ‘Flourishing Families’ Group is the largest of these accounting for 28% of the population, followed by the ‘Well‐off Managers’ (23%), the ‘Villages with Wealthy Commuters’ (13%), the ‘Wealthy Mature Professionals’ (8%) and the ‘Affluent Greys’ (2%).

 The ‘Flourishing Families’ (28%) is made up of ‘Larger families living in prosperous suburbs’ (8.6%), ‘Well‐off working families with mortgages’ (7.1%), ‘Well‐off managers living in detached houses’ (6.4%) and ‘Affluent working families with mortgages’ (6.2%).

 Over one in ten people (14%) are classified by the ‘Secure Families’ Group, which can mainly be further described as ‘Middle income home owning areas’ (8.1%). Smaller types within this group include the ‘Established home owning workers’ (3.1%) and the ‘Mature families in suburban semis’ category (2.3%).

 One in twenty (5%) of the ward are classified by the ‘Settled Suburbia or Prudent Pensioners’ Group, 4% belong to the ‘Urban Professionals’ and 3% live in areas classified by the ‘Moderate Means’ group. The ‘Hard Pressed’ group accounts for less than 1% of the wards population.

Indices of Deprivation

The Indices of Multiple Deprivation (IMD) provides an analysis of the levels of deprivation according to seven key indicators; income, employment, health, education, housing, crime and living environment (Online National Statistics, 2007). This is identified by Super Output Areas (SOA) for each parish. Aston Clinton falls within SOA 7629.

“A scoring result out of 20 is shown for each category of deprivation where 20 would be the most deprived possible out of all Super Output Areas of the country and 1 the least.” http://neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk/dissemination/LeadHome.do;jessionid=ac1f930c30d5db 879cdfef6f4ec0b3ddebacf2a8426b?m=0&s=1286534584186&enc=1&nsjs=true&nsck=true&nssv g=false&nswid=1249

The indices set out below demonstrate that in relation to total deprivation Aston Clinton falls within the top 5% of the indices of deprivation. Aston Clinton is least deprived for income, employment and health, with the highest levels of deprivation for barrier to housing and services.

Overall Deprivation Measures the following seven key indicators:

1) Income Deprivation Measures unemployment, incapacity benefits and disability allowance

2) Employment Deprivation Measures access to jobs

3) Health Deprivation Measures population’s health

4) Education Deprivation Measures skill levels and access to education

5) Barrier to Housing and Services Measure access to affordable housing and services

6) Crime Measures levels of burglary, theft, criminal damage and violence

7) Living Environment Deprivation Measures both indoor and outdoor living conditions including condition of housing, air quality and road traffic accidents Sources: Communities and Local Government; Office for National Statistics; Valuation Office Agency, (2007)

Employment

Employment Sites

 College Road North ‐ Units clustered around junction with A41 (including Flegg Transport, Redline, TWK Transit, Fairpoint Containers {Dropshort Farm} and Household Waste Recycling Facility) with planning permission for additional units, units at College Farm to south of Canal, and cluster of units at northern end of road (including Klargesters, Kee Wastewater Treatments and College Road Business Park – B1/B2 users).  Planning permission granted in September 2011 for a Proposed Dairy (Arla) at Land East of College Road North including associated offices, pallet store, energy centre, cool corridor, 3 gatehouses, vehicle maintenance unit (VMU), transport office, wash enclosure, drivers store, car & commercial parking spaces  Aylesbury Road ‐ 3 large units ‐ includes Dayla & Adobe; number of units either side of road at and opposite 77, includes car sales, furniture, carpentry/joinery.  Stablebridge Road – Green Park Centre ‐ The centre is set in 80 acres of woodland and parkland just to the east of the village (within an hours drive of London). The park was once the 19th century home of Sir Anthony de Rothschild and many of the landscape features remain. It offers residential conferencing, outdoor education, teambuilding and sporting facilities to business, schools, youth organisations and the local community. Facilities at Green Park include: o Conferencing for up to 200 with a total of 11 rooms available of various sizes. o Outdoor education with a wide variety of facilities for business, schools, youth organisations and the local community. o Accommodation for 62 people used primarily for school and youth residential o Sporting facilities including swimming pool, sports hall and sports pitch. o Catering provided for all requirements.

 Harebridge Lane (in Parish adjoining Halton) – 13/14 units mix of skip, scaffolding, car repairs, haulage firms – B2/B* and sui generis  London Road – 108 ‐ Refurbished offices (vacant on survey 07 10 2010); Masterdrive (mini specialists) to rear; Bucklandwharf ‐ Housesitters (Buckland Parish)  Weston Road ‐ Halton Brook Business Park  Brook Street – Mower repairs  Putnam’s Drive – BT facility  Forestry Commission Office and depot off B4009 Upper Icknield Way.

Employment Completions

 The graph below shows net employment completions which are identified as B1, B2, and B8 use classes. This includes offices, research and development, light industry, general industry, warehousing and distribution. Net floorspace takes into account demolition and loss of B class uses. Please note at the district level B use employment is likely to only contribute to 50% of total employment with the other employment generated through non‐B uses, such as retail.

Aston Clinton Employment net floorspace

2009‐10 219

2008‐09 ‐203

2007‐08 534

2006‐07 ‐450

2005‐06 28

‐500 ‐400 ‐300 ‐200 ‐100 0 100 200 300 400 500 600 Net Floorspace (m²)

Source: AVDC, 2010

During the last five years there has been a net increase. 2007‐08 had the greatest increase of 534 m², with 2006‐07 having the greatest loss of 450 m². Aston Clinton currently has a large amount of floorspace which has been permitted but not yet implemented, accounting for 5,025 m².

Sectors of Employment

 As is the case in many other areas around the district, a large part of the population in Aston Clinton parish are employed in four key industries. 15‐20% of the population work in real estate/renting and business activities, 16‐19% work in wholesale/retail, 11‐15% work in manufacturing and 10% work in the health industry as seen on the graph overleaf (AVDC Local Area Profile, 2006).

 In addition the most common level of employment is managerial and professional accounting for 38% of the population (Census, 2001).

Sectors of Employment SOA 7627 SOA 7629 SOA 7632 25% 20% 15% 10% 5% 0% s e g g al in ur rin n m ess m ion nci n d t teri a A Other icult ctu a n si Health a Fi Bu Agr , Educa anuf Construction tels/C ing Public M o t H Wholesale/Retail Transport/Com te/Ren ta Es al Re

Economic Activity

 The graph below for Aston Clinton parish shows economically active people account for 71% of the population, with 2% unemployed. Economically inactive population accounts for 27%, for example this include children, students, disabled and the retired (Census, 2001).

Economic activity

All people aged 16 to 74: 27% Economically active : Employed

All people aged 16 to 74: Economically active : 2% Unemployed All people aged 16 to 74 : 71% Economically inactive

Source: 2001 Census, www.ons.gov.uk, © Crown copyright

Mode Travelled to Work

Mode of travel to work

17% 7% All people aged 16 to 74 in employment: Travel to work by public transport All people aged 16 to 74 in employment: Travel to work by motorcycle; car or van All people aged 16 to 74 in employment: Travel to work by 76% other means or work at home

Source: 2001 Census, www.ons.gov.uk, © Crown copyright

 The majority of people travel to work by car/van /motorcycle, even though Aston Clinton has good bus connections along the A41 to Aylesbury and towns settlements to the east.

 7 % of the population travel by public transport.

Distance Travelled to Work

 Aston Clinton is spread over a fairly large area to the south of the district. Bearing this in mind, there are quite a range of distances that people in different locations of the settlement travel to their place of work.

 The most common distance travelled is between 2‐5km, accounting for 19% of the population. In contrast 19% of the people travel between 10‐20km, and 12% of the population over 40km to their place of work (AVDC Local Area Profile, 2006).

 The 2001 Census data shows a similar pattern, identifying the average distance travelled to a fixed place of work as 20.11 km.

Commuting from Aylesbury Vale Wards

Source: Aylesbury Vale Employment Land Study (AVDC, 2008) Note – the colour of the arrows correspond to the roads on the key

The diagram shows approximately a third of residents travel to Aylesbury Rural, with just under a quarter travelling to Aylesbury Town. There are equal proportions of people who travel to the M1, M40 and M25 corridors, elsewhere and London.

Broadband Speeds

Broadband connection is an important consideration when considering employment. There is no formal way of assessing Broadband speed and coverage. However we have drawn on some of the commercially available speed checking services to give a guide as to the coverage and speeds available in the parish. This does not mean that this is necessarily an obtainable level of service, but is as close as we are able to provide as an indicator.

Using www.broadbandspeedchecker.co.uk it would appear that Aston Clinton has a fair coverage and speeds obtainable appear to be in the range of 0.44 to 6.84 Mbps, by a range of different service providers.

Shops and Services

There are a broad range of shops and services within Aston Clinton. This includes a garage, general store, Post Office & off licence, hairdressers and car sales and repairs. There is also a number of public houses and restaurants, including The Bell, The Royal Oak and Rothchilds Arms. A bridal shop is also present.

Health Care

Aston Clinton has one doctors surgery along London Road and a chemist. Other nearby Health Centres include those at Wendover, Tring and Aylesbury. There is also a dentist surgery on Stablebridge Road and a veterinary surgery along Aylesbury Road (AVDC Officer Survey 2010 & Buckinghamshire PCT). 76% of people are considered to be in good health, with 12% of people have a limiting long‐term illness (Census, 2001)

The nearest Hospital is Stoke Mandeville Hospital at Aylesbury

Leisure Facilities

 Aston Clinton Park – Clubhouse, changing rooms, football pitches (adult & junior), cricket, tennis, bowls, floodlit all surface area, children & teenager play areas, youth club and Parish Council offices.

 Stablebridge Road Green Park Centre – 80 acres of woodland and parkland, outdoor education, teambuilding and sporting facilities to business, schools, youth organisations and the local community

 Cricket Ground & Pavilion – Church Lane.

 Southern part of the Parish lies in Chilterns Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty

 Chiltern Forest Golf Club Aston Hill Chivery – 18 holes, Club House Bar and catering, function rooms, pro shop

 Aylesbury Arm of the Grand Junction Canal and towpath goes through the northern part of the Parish

 Wendover Arm of the Grand Junction Canal (disused) and towpath runs through the southern end of the Parish.

 Brownies/Guides Hall, Aylesbury Road

 Mobile Library visit on a approximately 2 Friday’s a month at the Twitchell Lane School 14‐15.15 and at Long Plough 15.25‐15.45.

Green Space

The following are locations of green space for which the accessibility audit has been carried out:‐

Green Space Size (ha) Aston Clinton Park London Road 127178m2 St Michaels Church Church Lane 8341m2 Open Space Putnam Drive 1827m2 Allotments London Road 2098m2 Open Space The Burnhams 1074m2 Blackmore Gate 4870m2

The following table shows current provision against Accessible Natural England Standard (ANGSt) by Natural England which is considered a national benchmark and forms part of Government guidance on green space provision. The standard emphasizes the importance of accessible green space to local communities.

ANGSt Standard Sufficient Existing Provision 2ha‐20ha green spaces located within 300m of No dwellings 20ha‐100ha green spaces located within 2km No of dwellings 100ha‐500ha green spaces located within 5km Yes of dwellings 500ha+ green spaces located within 10km of Yes dwellings

Crime

The below data is based on burglaries, theft, criminal damage and violence (April 2002‐March 03). The column on the left shows a ranking of the relevant Super Output Area against all Super Output Areas nationally (there are around 32,500). An IMD score of 1 would mean the SOA is the highest crime area in the country. Whereas a ranking of 32,500 would be the lowest crime area based on these particular crimes.

Crime Deprivation

35000 30000

Deprivation 25000

20000 15000 Multiple

of 10000

5000

Indices 0 7627 7628 7629 7631 7632 7630

Aston Clinton Ward Super Output Area

Aston Clinton (SOA 7629) shows a fairly strong rankings in terms of crime deprivation, being the lowest level of crime deprivation for the ward. Overall there are low levels of crime deprivation, which falls within the top quartile nationally.

Education

Pre School and Sure Start There is a Pre‐School at Anthony Hall, London Road. This pre‐school may care for no more than 30 children from 2 years to the end of the early years age group, of these, not more than 12 may be under 3 years at any one time (Early Years Register)

Primary Planning Areas Aston Clinton falls within the Wendover Primary Planning Area, where there are 5 primary schools. Within the primary planning area there is currently a capacity of 1305 pupils, with 1202 pupils currently attending, leaving a surplus of 8% (Source: Planning Obligations for Education Provision, 2010).

Source: Buckinghamshire County Council ,2009

Within Aston Clinton there is one primary school at Twitchell Lane for ages 4 to 11, mixed gender. There is currently a capacity for 315 pupils and in 2009/10, 291 pupils attended, giving a surplus capacity of 8% (BCC, 2010).

Secondary Schools

 Nearest Upper Schools Aylesbury & Princes Risborough.

 The nearest Colleges are located at Aylesbury, Amersham & High Wycombe.

 The nearest Adult Education centres are at Aylesbury (34 venues), Aston Clinton (2) and Wendover (3).

Education Trends and Statistics

At Key Stage 2, 89% of pupils in Aston Clinton ward achieve Level 4 or above in English, compared to a regional figure of 81.3%. In Science, 92% achieve Level 4 or above compared to a regional figure of 87.6% and in Maths, 84.7% achieve Level 4 or above compared to a regional figure of 78% (Department for Children, Schools and Families, 2009).

At GCSE level, 51% of school pupils in Aston Clinton Ward achieved 5 or more GCSEs graded A to C, compared to a regional average of 65% (Department for Children, Schools and Families, 2009).

Housing Stock Profile

 The average household size for Aston Clinton is 2.53 persons, which is the same as the district average. The average number of rooms per household is 6.11, this is slightly above the district average of 5.8.

Dwelling type

Detached house / bungalow

46% Semi-detached / terraced house / bungalow 49% Flat maisonette or apartment; or caravan or temporary structure

Source: 2001 Census, www.ons.gov.uk, © Crown copyright

 There is a relatively equal split between the number of detached semi‐detached/ terraced dwellings.

 A small number of dwellings are either flats, maisonettes or apartments.

Household Tenure

Tenure

Households with owner- 8% occupied tenure 10%

Households with tenure rented from Council (local authority) or Housing Association / Registered Social Landlord Households with tenure rented 82% from private landlord or letting agency or other tenure

Source: 2001 Census, www.ons.gov.uk, © Crown copyright

 The majority of tenures are owner/occupier and almost equal split between rented (local authority as was) and private rented. 44% of the population in Aston Clinton own their homes with the help of a mortgage.

 In addition to this, 37% of people in the area own their homes outright.

Household Occupancy

Household Occupancy 1.4% 0.2% 1.3% Occupied household space

Second residence/holiday accommodation Unoccupied household space Vacant household space

97.1%

Source: 2001 Census, www.ons.gov.uk, © Crown copyright

 For clarification a ‘vacant’ household space is an unoccupied space which is not a household’s usual residence and is not a second residence or holiday accommodation, whereas unoccupied house hold includes second homes and holiday residences.

Market Data on Completions and Sales 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 Number of Dwellings 21 5 6 18 1 0 completions Number of committed 14 28 24 7 16 16 dwellings Source: AVDC, March 2010

Commitment figures show the net housing commitments in each parish in the District. In other words, they show the number of houses (both new dwellings and conversions) for which there is a valid planning permission, allowing for those houses which have already been completed, and allowing for dwellings which are to be demolished or otherwise lost.

Overall the number of completed dwellings has fallen within the last five years from 21 completed in 2005 to 0 completed in 2010. The number of committed dwellings has remained relatively constant, ranging between 7 and 28 dwellings.

There has been no affordable housing or rural housing schemes completed since 2005.

Average Household Price over last 5 years

The graph below shows the average house price in Aston Clinton ward over the last 5 years. The average price has fluctuated over the past 5 years, with the most notable change between January 2009 and July 2009. Excluding this, average house prices have remained above £250,000 since January 2005 with the average house price at £308,878 for July 2010.

Average Household Prices from 2005

£450,000 £400,000 £350,000

£300,000 Price £250,000 £200,000 £150,000 Household £100,000 £50,000 £0 January July January July January July January July January July January July 2005 2005 2006 2006 2007 2007 2008 2008 2009 2009 2010 2010

(Source: HM Land Registry, 2010)

Housing Sales

In 2010 there were 121 property sales in the Aston Clinton Ward.

Aston Clinton Ward Annual Dwelling Sales

300 269 254 250 214 200

Dwellings 143 150 of 121

100 83 Number 50

0 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010

(Source: Hometrack, January 2011)

Property sales are significantly down since the peaks of 2006 & 2007, with a significant drop in 2008, following the national trend. Sales have risen slightly in the last couple of years.

New Build price comparison

Price comparision for new builds compared to previously occupied dwellings £500,000 £450,000 £400,000 Previously Occupied Flat Prices £350,000 New Build Flat Prices

Value £300,000

£250,000 Previously Occupied £200,000 House Prices £150,000 Household New Build House Prices £100,000 £50,000 £0 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010

(Source: HM Land Registry, September 2010) Please note not all the data is available for each year. This graph does not take into account the sizes of dwellings sold, which impacts on value

The graph above shows that for Aston Clinton ward there is little difference between the cost of new build flats and previously occupied flats, with new builds costing slightly more as expected. Between 2006 and 2008 there was little price variety between the cost of new build houses and previously occupied houses. Surprisingly in 2009 and 2010 the cost of a previously occupied house was greater than a new built house.

Affordability

(Source: Hometrack, 2010)

The graph above for the Aston Clinton ward is an affordability graph based on mortgage three times income. This graph shows in order to buy a flat/maisonette for a first time buyer based on a mortgage rate three times your income, you need to be earning at least £35,000 to £40,000. To buy a flat/maisonette for an owner occupier on a mortgage based on three times your income, you need to be earning at lease £30,000 to £35,000.

Housing Need

In the Aston Clinton Parish, there are 50 households on the waiting list for Council housing (see Annex 1 for full Housing Waiting List by Parish) (Source, AVDC December 2010). This is relatively high in comparison to the rest of district.

It should be noted that in terms of the district wide position on housing waiting lists, there are 938 households from outside the district and 120 households where the Council has so far been unable to map their location due to unrecognisable postcodes.

Transport

The A41 runs through the parish and now bypasses the village, for the most part it is a 2 lane dual carriageway road with grade separated junctions linking to the M25 at Junction 20. The bypass has removed a large amount of through traffic from the village, including the HGVs originating from the College Road employment sites which no longer have to use narrow village roads to access the A41.

The former route of the A41 running through the village remains in a similar form to its original trunk road status, although on road cycle lanes have been created along most of the route through the village and west towards the junction with the bypass.

Road routes north from the village are limited with only the Lower Icknield Way at the eastern end of the village providing a link to the B489 which connects to villages in the east of the District and eventually Dunstable.

There are two significant routes into the village from the south. Weston Road at the western end links to Weston Turville and then onto the A413 Wendover Road. Because of this, the route is used by traffic as a connection between the A413 and A41 avoiding the need to go through Aylesbury.

The second route is the B4009 which runs through the southern part of the Parish connecting Wendover to the Tring Hill (just to the east of the village in Buckland Parish). The B4009 is a significant cross county route which runs along the Chilterns scarp from Benson in Oxfordshire to Tring Hill and includes a junction with the M40 at Lewknor.

The below graph looks at the number of cars owned per household based on data from the 2001 census. The graph shows that 92% of households own at least 1 vehicle, with 60% owning at least two vehicles. 8% of the population have no cars.

Number of cars/vans per household

13% 9%

No cars or vans One car or van 34% Tw o cars or vans Three or more cars or vans 44%

Compared to other parts of the district, a higher than average number of people have no cars or vans, this is likely to be due to the close proximately of Aylesbury town and the good public transport routes. Of vehicle owners, majority of people own two motor vehicles, with slightly less owning one motor vehicle (Census, 2001).

Aston Clinton Is well served by buses with Service 500 running half hourly, Monday – Friday, connecting the village to Aylesbury, Tring, Hemel Hempstead & Watford. A similar service is provided on Saturdays and on Sundays, Service 501 provides an hourly service to the same destinations.

In addition, Service 61 provides an hourly service throughout the working day Monday – Friday and on Saturdays connecting the village to Aylesbury, Tring, Dunstable & Luton.

These services are supplemented Monday – Saturday by Service 164 giving a limited service between Aylesbury and Leighton Buzzard.

Basic bus stops (pole, flag and timetable) are located on Aylesbury Road, London Road, Stablebridge Road, Upper Icknield Way and Weston Road. Some stops on London Road have passenger shelters and two stops have solar powered information points.

In relation to rail services, the nearest Station is at Stoke Mandeville (5km to the west) or Wendover (6 km to the south) both on the Chiltern Line, Aylesbury via Amersham to Marylebone route. The frequency is generally one train per half hour to London throughout the day and evening. Tring Station, is some 8 km east of the village, lies on the London Midland Euston – Birmingham New Street line. The frequency is generally one train per half hour to London & Birmingham throughout the day and evening. The service also provides for Intercity/cross country access at stations up and down the line. There is an extensive network of public footpaths criss‐crossing through the village and extending outwards into the Parish and connecting to the surrounding villages and the Chilterns. The local network is supplemented by a number of Cross County routes that provide access to the wider national network – the towpaths along the Aylesbury and Wendover Canals and the Aylesbury Ring. The Long Distance Ridgeway Path runs through the southern part of the Parish.

The Aylesbury Arm Canal provides water borne and towpath access west into Aylesbury and east to Marsworth and the national canal network. The Wendover Arm although de watered in Aston Clinton Parish still retains an accessible towpath linking to Wendover and Tring (and then the national network).

There are four community bus services with the potential to cover Aston Clinton:

 Aylesbury Vale Dial‐A‐Ride;  Wendover Action Group;  Weston Turville Voluntary Transport; and  Friends of Wendover Health Centre.

Water Cycle and Flooding

The Aylesbury Vale Water Cycle Strategy was completed by Halcrow with AVDC officers, Thames Water, Anglian Water, the Environment Agency and other stakeholders in December 2010. It provides an audit of water supplies, surface water management, flood risk, water quality, wastewater network and sewerage treatment works as relevant to a selected number of rural settlements in Aylesbury Vale. On flood risk, the study picks up all forms of flooding other than river flooding (which is separately covered by the Fact Packs). The Water Cycle Strategy also provides an appraisal of the available capacity in the above infrastructure and identifies how far constrained (or not) settlements are to potential further development.

Fact File Summary

 Steady population growth from 1951 to 2001 with the greatest increase between 1971 and 1981 (Census, 2001);

 The age profile for the village shows the majority in the 25‐44 age band,

 Low levels of deprivation within the parish, particularly low when compared nationally and with surrounding parishes;

 High levels of employment within the village from various sites;

 Good public transport services to a variety of settlements with a frequent service;

 The village is served by basic facilities and has a few key services for villagers specifically garage , general stores, Post Office & off licence.

 The village also has a primary school which is well attended. The nearest secondary school is in Aylesbury;

 There is a roughly an equal proportion of semi‐detached and terraced dwellings (49%), with 46% detached.

 House prices have fluctuated with the most notable change between January 2009 and July 2009. Average house prices have remained above £250,000 since January 2005 with the average house price at July 2010 being £308,878.

 Dwelling sales peaked in 2006 with 269 sales and have since been reducing to 48 in 2010;

 Low levels of crime, particularly when compared nationally.

5. Issues facing the Parish

The following planning related issues have been identified from the Wendover Local Area Forum Report (draft September 2010), which Aston Clinton Parish Council contributed to. Issues include:

 Limited provision for young people (11+);

 Concern over the lack of general support for older people to live in their own homes;

 Limited sustainable transport options;

 Vehicles speeding and rat‐running through village;

 Need for decent affordable housing.

6. Parish Constraints

The following constraints have been identified from the maps located on the next few pages.

Agricultural Land Map

Agricultural Land

The Agricultural Land Classification (ALC) provides a method for assessing the quality of farmland to enable informed choices to be made about its future use within the planning system. It helps underpin the principles of sustainable development. DEFRA produced guidance on the ALC in the planning system in 1998 and the most up to date data, was produced by Natural England in 2002.

The land within Aston Clinton and its immediate surroundings comprise grade 3 agricultural land. Detailed work will be needed to distinguish between grades 3a and 3b for site based assessment. Towards to the south of the village the land is classified as agricultural land grade 4, showing a lower quality of soils.

Topography

Contours showing land at heights at 5 metre vertical intervals from Ordnance Survey maps. Land heights are above ordnance datum (sea level). Aston Clinton has a gradual slope from 110m in the east to 90m in the west.

Environmental Constraints Map

Environmental

Aston Clinton is relatively unconstrained by the natural environment. There are no areas subject to flooding although two linear strands along streams are subject to surface water flooding. Surface water flooding occurs when there are high rainfall events, causing drainage capacity to be exceeded.

Notable species

There are also approximately 15 notable species sites dotted within and surrounding the village. This is quite a high number in comparison to other villages. Notable species sites are sites where Important Ecological Species set out by the Milton Keynes and Buckinghamshire Biological Records Centre have been identified.

Biological Notification Site

Towards the south of the settlement at Green Park there is a large area of Biological Notification Site, due to Parkland habitat. Biological Notification Sites are local non‐statutory designations for important biological sites, that have not been renamed as part of the Site of Important Nature Conservation through BCC.

Historic Constraints Map

From looking at the map showing Historic Constraints it can be seen that Aston Clinton has a number of historic constraints.

Conservation Area & Listed Buildings

There is no Conservation Area(CA) within Aston Clinton, although adjoining to the north of the settlement is Buckland CA. Due to the close proximity, Aston Clinton is likely to impact on the setting and character of Buckland CA. Conservation Areas are designated by the Council to control development in areas of special character and historic or archaeological importance. The first CA’s were designated in 1967 and there are now over 8000 in England.

There are approximately 29 listed buildings, all grade II except one grade II* for the Church of St Michael and All Angel, within a 500m radius of Aston Clinton. These buildings are selected on the basis of their architectural interest, historic interest and historical association. Age and rarity are also an important consideration, as such the older a building is the more likely it is to be listed.

Archaeological Notification Areas

Towards the south of London Road is a large Archaeological Notification Area (ANA) at Aston Clinton Park, covering 80 hectares. To the west of the park is another site where Iron Age artifacts have been found. Also to the north of the London Road at the western end of the village there is a ANA for findings of a Farm Moat. Archaeological Notification Areas are sites or monuments where the existence of a heritage asset of archaeological interest has been identified. Evidence of these sites are recorded in the Buckinghamshire Historic Environment Record.

Schedule Ancient Monument

Within the Farm Moat to the west of Vatche’s Farm there is also a Schedule Ancient Monument (SAM) due to the moated site and fish ponds once located there. Just outside the parish boundary towards the west of Buckland there is SAM for another moated site. A SAM is a nationally important archaeological site or historic building, given protection against unauthorised change.

Historic Land Use

Towards the south of Aston Clinton is large historic land use where there was once military land which included an air field. A historic land use is identified when there is a significant previous land use which has impacted on the setting and character of the settlement.

Landscape Map

Landscape Character and Sensitivity

A Landscape Character Assessment was produced in May 2008. The assessment covers the whole of Aylesbury Vale District outside of the built up areas of Aylesbury, Buckingham, Haddenham, Winslow and Wendover and groups landscape into 79 landscape character areas and 13 landscape character types covering landscape, visual, historic and ecological considerations. The landscape character type for Aston Clinton is Landscape Character Type 08, defined as Vale. Towards the south of the village the landscape character type changes into Chalk Foothill, Type 10.

The Areas of Sensitive Landscape study (2008) followed up the Landscape Character Assessment looking specifically at the sensitivity of areas to change and new development. The following criteria determine how sensitive an area is –landscape quality, scenic quality, rarity, representativeness, conservation interests, wildness. Aston Clinton is identified as having a landscape sensitivity between 0‐50%, as such measuring relatively low sensitivity.

Infrastructure and Transport Connections map

Aston Clinton facilities, connections and infrastructure

The infrastructure map shows Aston Clinton in the context of its transport connections and infrastructure. As discussed within section 3, Aston Clinton has a few key facilities including a primary school, garage , general stores, Post Office & off licence, hairdressers and two places of worship. In relation to employment, there is a good range of employment sites with varying uses. The majority of the employment sites are located at College Road North and Green Park Centre. Aston Clinton has one main route through the village, London Road, with the strategic A41 bypassing the settlement.

Aston Clinton Agricultural Land Use Classification and Topography 5 0 1

Buckland

0 11

Aston Clinton

Cricket Ground 95

Aston Clinton Park

Key Agricultural Land Classification (Non detailed)

Grade 1 We ndo Grade 2 ver 5 11 Grade 3 Green Park WeGllornahdeaed B4ridge 0 0 50 100 200 300 12 Grade 5 Metres ´ 100 This map is based upon Ordnance Survey material with the Non agricultural permission of Ordnance Survey on behalf of the Controller of Her Majesty's Stationery Office. © Crown copyright. Urban

Unauthorised reproduction infringes Crown copyright and may lead to prosecution or civil proceedings. Contour Lines 125 Aylesbury Vale District Council 100019797 2010 0 1:5,000 13 135 Aston Clinton Environmental Constraints

Key

TPO Flood Plain 0 50 100 200 300 400 Areas Suseptible to Surface Water Flooding

Metres AONB This map is based upon Ordnance Survey material with the ´ permission of Ordnance Survey on behalf of the Controller of Her % Notable Species Majesty's Stationery Office. © Crown copyright. Biological Notification Sites Unauthorised reproduction infringes Crown copyright and may lead to prosecution or civil proceedings. Green Belt Aylesbury Vale District Council 100019797 2010 1:6,000 Aston Clinton Historic Constraints

Buckland

Aston Clinton

Cricket Ground

Aston Clinton Park

Key

We ndo ver 0 50 100 200 300 Conservation Areas

Meters Green Park Wellonhead LBriisdgteed Buildings This map is based upon Ordnance Survey material with the permission of Ordnance Survey on behalf of the Controller of Her Scheduled Ancient Monuments Majesty's Stationery Office. © Crown copyright. ´ Archaeological Notification Areas Unauthorised reproduction infringes Crown copyright and may lead to prosecution or civil proceedings. Aylesbury Vale District Council 100019797 2010 1:5,000 Historic Land Use Aston Clinton Landscape

Key Settlements LCT 10 Chalk Foothills LCT 11 Chalk Escarpment LCT 12 Chalk Dip Slope LCT 07 Wooded Rolling Lowlands

Landscape Sensitivity 0100200 400 600 800 1,0001,200 0 - 50% Metres 50 - 75% © Crown Copyright and database right 2011. Ordnance Survey 100019797. ´ 75 - 90% 1:30,000 90 - 100% Aston Clinton Infrastructure and Transport Connections

Key

Employment Facility Retail 0 50 100 200 300 Service Metres Bus Stops This map is based upon Ordnance Survey material with the permission of Ordnance Survey on behalf of the Controller of Her Majesty's Stationery Office. © Crown copyright. Public Rights of Way

Unauthorised reproduction infringes Crown copyright ´ and may lead to prosecution or civil proceedings. Public Rights of Way Aylesbury Vale District Council 100019797 2010 1:6,000 Main Roads Annex 1: Housing Waiting List

Annex 2: References

Local Plans Source

AVDC Community Led http://www.aylesburyvaledc.gov.uk/community‐living/community‐ Planning led‐planning/ Community Led Plans ‐ www.clp‐se.org.uk South East Rural Communities Council Local Area Plans http://www.buckscc.gov.uk/bcc/our_communities/local_area_plans. page Statistics ACORN ward profile Paper copy. Buckinghamshire County Council, March 2010

Local Area Profile Paper copy, AVDC, 2006 Employment Land Study http://www.aylesburyvaledc.gov.uk/local‐development‐ 2008 plans/planning‐policy/withdrawn‐core‐strategy/avldf‐evidence‐ base/employment‐evidence/aylesbury‐vale‐employment‐land‐study‐ march‐2008/?LGNTF=71 ONS www.ons.gov.uk BCC education Paper Copy. BCC Cabinet report from May 2010. Also information from BCC, December 2010 School Location http://www.buckscc.gov.uk/bcc/schools/ea_Name_search.page Doctors Information from database held by the Primary Care Trust, October 2010 Housing Hometrack http://www.housingintelligence.co.uk/ (membership required) Completions AVDC monitoring data, 2010 (ongoing)

Commitments AVDC monitoring data, 2010 (ongoing)

Affordable Housing AVDC monitoring data, 2010 (ongoing) Completions No. Parish Dwellings AVDC monitoring data, 2010 (ongoing) (Housing Stock) Rural exception schemes AVDC monitoring data, 2010 (ongoing) Employment Losses and gains in last AVDC monitoring data, 2010 (ongoing) five years (B1,2, and 8)

Environmental Constraints Listed buildings http://www.heritagegateway.org.uk/gateway/

Maps AVDC, December 2010. Produced using ArcMap with license from Ordnance Survey Conservation Areas and http://www.aylesburyvaledc.gov.uk/local‐development‐ Management Plans plans/planning‐policy/supplementary‐planning‐ documents/conservation‐area‐supplementary‐planning‐document/ Green Infrastructure Aylesbury Vale Green http://www.aylesburyvaledc.gov.uk/leisure‐culture/parks‐open‐ Infrastructure Strategy spaces/aylesbury‐vale‐green‐infrastructure‐strategy/ 2011‐2026

Buckinghamshire Green http://www.buckscc.gov.uk/bcc/strategic_planning/green_infrastruc Infrastructure Strategy ture.page

AVDC Green Spaces http://www.aylesburyvaledc.gov.uk/leisure‐culture/planning‐policy‐ Audit guidance‐17/‐green‐space‐audit/

Transport Public transport stops http://www.transportforbucks.net/Buses‐and‐trains/Maps/Real‐ time‐bus‐map.aspx Bus time tables http://www.transportforbucks.net/Buses‐and‐trains/Bus‐ timetables.aspx Community Transport http://www.alt‐transport.org.uk/schemes_av.asp Schemes Other Settlement audit 2008 http://www.aylesburyvaledc.gov.uk/local‐development‐ plans/planning‐policy/withdrawn‐core‐strategy/avldf‐evidence‐ base/miscellaneous‐evidence/review‐rural‐settlement‐hierarchy Aerial Photography http://maps.google.co.uk/maps Population stats from AVDC, 2010, paper copies available on request for the last 5 censuses 1951