Aylesbury Vale District Council’s New Homes Bonus Grant Funding Scheme Report 2013-2020

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Aylesbury Vale District Council’s New Homes Bonus Grant Funding Scheme Report 2013-2020

Front cover: (clockwise from top left): Project Grants: Parish Council – newly renovated Pavilion, Parish Council - Community Beacon, Parish Council – new build Village Hall, Halton Parish Council – new flooring in the Village Hall – Centre – Stewkley community event to celebrate the opening of the newly renovated Pavilion, Parish Council - Remodelled Manor Waste, Micro Grants: Table Tennis Club - new table tennis table, Quainton Sports Club - automatic tennis ball machine, Parish Council - Emergency Plan machinery, Project Grant: Parish Council - traffic calming measures .

Contents

Page

Grants Panel Membership 3

A message from the Chairman of the Panel 3

What was the New Homes Bonus Grant Funding Scheme? 4

The New Homes Bonus Project Grant Scheme 5

Interactive map of Project Grants awarded 8

The Introduction of the New Homes Bonus Micro Grant Scheme 9

Summary Table 10

List of New Homes Bonus Project Grants Awarded 11-13

List of New Homes Bonus Micro Grants Awarded 14-19

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Aylesbury Vale District Council’s New Homes Bonus Grant Funding Scheme Report 2013-2020

Grants Panel Membership 2013-2019

Aylesbury Vale District Council

Cllr Peter Strachan, Chairman of the Panel and Member for Wendover and Halton

Cllr Derek Town, Member for and

Cllr Steven Lambert, Member for Coldharbour

Aylesbury Vale Association of Local Councils

Cllr John Gilbey Cllr Nick Heirons

Cabinet Member Responsible for the New Homes Bonus

Cllr Howard Mordue, Cabinet Member for Finance and Resources

A message from the Chairman of the Panel, Councillor Peter Strachan

It has been a great pleasure to have been Chairman of the New Homes Bonus Panel since its inception. Our policy at AVDC has been to release a high proportion of the central government grant to support local projects and so we have been able to enhance our local communities in so many ways.

We hope that when we become a Unitary Authority in April 2020 we will be allowed to continue with a similar approach so that communities experiencing high levels of growth can improve their facilities to mitigate that growth.

Councillor Peter Strachan, Aylesbury Vale District Council

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Aylesbury Vale District Council’s New Homes Bonus Grant Funding Scheme Report 2013-2020

What was Aylesbury Vale District Council’s New Homes Bonus Grant Funding Scheme?

The New Homes Bonus (NHB) is a national initiative whereby funding from the national revenue grant for local authorities has been top sliced and allocated to local councils in proportion to the number of new homes in their area. Since 2012 for every new home built and occupied in Aylesbury Vale, the Government gives the council a NHB grant each year.

In December 2012 Aylesbury Vale District Council (AVDC) was one of only a handful of councils that agreed to distribute a share of its NHB allocation to parish and town councils, to help alleviate the impacts of housing growth on local communities. 20% of the Government allocation was set aside each year.

An Informal Advisory Panel, made up of three district councillors appointed on a politically proportionate basis, and two parish councillors nominated by the Aylesbury Vale Association of Local Councils (AVALC), was set up to consider applications from parish and town councils and make recommendations to Cabinet on the allocation of the NHB funding.

The NHB Advisory Grants Panel subsequently met to agree the detailed criteria and process for the grant scheme, based on the decisions of AVDC Cabinet.

The key criteria were that:

a. Applications should include a business case which as a minimum should demonstrate;

the impact of growth on their area, applications needn’t necessarily be from the area directly taking growth in recognition of the fact that those most affected by growth are not always within the area taking that growth the need or community desire for the investment proposed, firm costings together with a funding and delivery plan Awards could be for up to 100% of the scheme cost and could support both capital and revenue projects. Funding agreements were drawn up with all successful applicants. Appropriate recognition of the support provided by the NHB funding scheme was sought through media publicity and appropriate signage.

Over £6.1 million has been distributed through Aylesbury Vale District Council’s New Homes Bonus Funding Scheme over the past seven years. These grants have enabled voluntary and community organisations to invest more that £15 million to provide tangible projects and facilities to benefit Aylesbury4 Vale residents.

Aylesbury Vale District Council’s New Homes Bonus Grant Funding Scheme Report 2013-2020

The New Homes Bonus Project Grant Scheme In the seven years of the NHB Project Grant Scheme’s administration a total of over £6.1 million in grant support has been awarded to 62 different projects across Aylesbury Vale where towns and parishes have been affected by growth or the impact of growth in surrounding areas. Many of the projects funded have been completed, some are in progress and some larger building projects awarded funding more recently will begin once Planning is approved. Projects funded range from the improvement and renovation of existing community facilities, for example, , Halton, and village halls, to the building of brand new community buildings in Westbury and Chearsley.

Westbury Village Hall

Chearsley Village Hall

Chearsley Village Hall

Feedback form comment: “Having a new, modern and environmentally friendly community space has been a huge success and is being used widely for all sorts of new activities and events. We are incredibly grateful to AVDC for putting its faith in us and helping us to realise our dreams with a grant from the New Homes Bonus fund”. (Antonia Stratford, Chair, Chearsley Village Hall)

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Aylesbury Vale District Council’s New Homes Bonus Grant Funding Scheme Report 2013-2020

Larger new build projects that will each provide fit-for-purpose facilities for their growing communities are to be built in and (as part of the Roman Park development), as well as a new pavilion in Wing as part of a larger project to improve the leisure and sporting facilities at Wing Recreation Ground.

New community centres for Aston Clinton and Berryfields Email comment: “We are truly delighted and the councillors and parishioners of Berryfields are hugely appreciative of NHB funding. Thank you”. (Sue Severn, Parish Clerk, Berryfields Parish Council)

Other town and parish priority projects funded through the NHB scheme include the remodelling of the Manor Waste in Wendover, a Multi-Use-Games Area (MUGA), trim trail and also a long awaited Shopmobility and public toilet block in the centre of , the purchase of land in Winslow to serve as a new Town Park and Arboretum, a safe pedestrian footway along the B489 linking the villages of and