Selling Land in Buckinghamshire

Two councils decide planning applications in the county. Buckinghamshire Council is a single unitary council, created in April 2020 when the old county council merged with the four districts of Aylesbury Vale, Chiltern, South Bucks and Wycombe. Milton Keynes City Council covers the city and the villages around it, and has run its own affairs as a unitary council since 1997.

• Buckinghamshire is just short of its target. It built 7,763 homes against a requirement of 8,274 in the Housing Delivery Test 2025, a score of 94%. That means an action plan, but it is well clear of the 75% line where national unmet need policy applies.
• Milton Keynes is well ahead. It built 7,484 homes against 5,266 needed, a score of 142%.
• A new plan is close to examination. Buckinghamshire Council published its draft Local Plan in July 2026. It plans for around 91,000 homes to 2045 and does not allocate new housing in the Green Belt.
• Green Belt in the south. The Metropolitan Green Belt covers most of the former Chiltern and South Bucks areas and the southern part of the Wycombe area.
• The Chilterns National Landscape. A broad band of chalk hills and beech woods crossing the county from the Thames near Marlow north east towards Wendover and Ivinghoe.

The Metropolitan Green Belt

In the south of the county the Green Belt is the first thing we check. It wraps around Beaconsfield, Gerrards Cross, Amersham, Chalfont St Peter, Marlow and the villages along the Thames and the Colne. Since December 2024, land that does not strongly contribute to the Green Belt's purposes can be treated as grey belt, and homes on it can be acceptable if they meet the Golden Rules on affordable housing, infrastructure and green space. Because the draft Local Plan does not allocate new housing in the Green Belt, grey belt applications and previously developed land are the realistic routes in this part of the county for now. Our grey belt guide explains the test.

The Chilterns National Landscape

National policy gives great weight to conserving the landscape and scenic beauty of the Chilterns, and major development inside the boundary is only allowed in exceptional circumstances. Land just outside it is judged on its effect on views from the hills and on the character of the valleys. Natural England had been reviewing whether to extend the boundary, but cancelled that review in May 2025, so the existing boundary stands.

Protected Woodland

Parts of the Chilterns Beechwoods, including Ashridge Commons and Woods on the Hertfordshire border, are protected at the highest level. New homes within 12.6 kilometres of Ashridge need a habitats assessment, and developers pay a contribution per home towards access management and new green space to draw visitors away. Burnham Beeches, near Farnham Common in the south, has its own mitigation strategy. These costs rarely stop a good site, but they do affect what a developer can pay.

Flood Risk

The Thames forms the southern boundary, and Marlow, Bourne End and the riverside villages have a long history of flooding. In the north, the Great Ouse runs through Buckingham, Newport Pagnell and Olney, and the Thame drains much of the Vale of Aylesbury. The Colne valley on the eastern edge is wide and low lying. Land in Flood Zones 2 and 3 faces the sequential test, but many fields have their wet land along one edge, which can be kept as open space and drainage. See our guide to flood risk and development land.

Transport and Infrastructure

HS2 crosses the county from the tunnel under the Chilterns out across the Vale towards Brackley, and parts of its route are still under construction. The East West Rail line runs through Winslow and Bletchley. The M40 serves High Wycombe and Beaconsfield, the M1 serves Milton Keynes and the M25 clips the south east corner. The Chiltern line, the Metropolitan line to Amersham and Chesham, the West Coast Main Line at Milton Keynes and the Elizabeth line at Iver and Taplow give much of the county direct links to London.

Neither council is below 75%, so a planning application on an unallocated field will not succeed on housing numbers alone. That puts more weight on the local plans, on grey belt in the south, and on land that is already developed. The routes we use most here are:

1. The Buckinghamshire Local Plan and later reviews. The draft plan is now heading to examination, and plans under the new system must be reviewed regularly. Land that is not in this plan can still be put forward for the next one, and the evidence we build now carries forward. Our guide to call for sites and local plans explains the stages.
2. The MK City Plan 2050. For land around Milton Keynes, the examination and the plans that follow it are the main route.
3. Grey belt in the south. Paddocks, small fields and yards that do little to stop towns merging or spreading can qualify, subject to the Golden Rules.
4. Previously developed land. Old yards, depots and redundant farm buildings, which national policy supports inside and outside settlements. Some farm buildings can also be converted to homes under Class Q.
5. Land near stations. National policy now supports higher density homes within walking distance of well-connected stations. Whether that applies depends on the station and the service it has.

Land here is valuable, but the Green Belt and the Chilterns cover much of the south. The sites that do well are well placed, well evidenced and put forward patiently. Our agreements are written to give that time.