One Step Closer to a Complete Bierton Bypass

Buckinghamshire Council's Cabinet met today (11/3/25) and voted to proceed with their preferred bidder for the Woodlands development.

The Woodlands Development comprising of housing, affordable housing, commercial, public realm and sports facilities also includes the much awaited Eastern Link Road South, which will link Kingsbrook to the A41 Aston Clinton Bypass. However there is still no date as to when the link road will be complete.

Currently, the layout changes in Bierton, which include chicanes and islands, is designed to slow down traffic and encourage vehicles to bypass the village and use the Kingsbrook road instead.

However, until the completion of the Woodlands Eastern Link Road South—intended to connect Kingsbrook to the A41 Aston Clinton bypass—drivers are left with few alternatives. Many are either using the unsuitable Broughton route or using the suggested route Kingsbrook to rejoin Aylesbury’s roads at the already congested Stocklake junction.

Woodlands is part of a long-term strategy of Bucks Council to deliver an orbital traffic route around Aylesbury, delivering the Eastern Link Road (South) (ELRS). The ELRS will connect to the Eastern Link Road (North) that has already been substantially delivered as part of the Kingsbrook development and the Southern Link Road to be delivered by Hampden Fields (Taylor Wimpey) by September 2025.

The council say more information on the project will be available once the agreements are signed.

Bucks Council Cabinet Webcast:

• Cllr Steve Broadbent:

  "Woodlands is a long standing development area that we're often questions about, particularly in and around Aylesbury, but throughout the county on what is happening was the progress. This report shows that following the the engagement work that has been done, there are hopefully proposals to be able to move that forward will be a key development site for the town.

  Both for commercial and residential elements, because it's a mixed use site and links in many ways to a lot of the other infrastructure that will be needed roads and schools and the like too, to help sustain the town."

• Steve Bambrick, corporate director of planning, growth and sustainability:

   

  "Woodlands site is a site that's allocated in the adopted local plan. It's part of the overall growth strategy for Aylesbury and it will deliver over a thousand new homes. But will also importantly deliver and a third enterprise zone in the county and very significant commercial floorspace and so it's a very, very significant site in that in that context, it will also, when developed, deliver the Eastern Link road, which is a really important part of the overall Aylesbury Highway network.

  So and our strategy is to complete effectively that ring road around around the time and to enable traffic to avoid the town center and and alleviate the very significant congestion that we experience. So you'll you'll know and members will know that there's already a great deal of work and activity on site already delivering the sealer site the south east Aylesbury link road and it's all part of the same road network and this Ethan Link road will be another part of that jigsaw and members will know from previous reports the Cabinet that we've had a number of different alternatives for how we might deliver that site.

  And where we've got to is agreement from Cabinet that we would market the site that was completed last year. That was a significant interest, but we've now reached the point where we've got a single preferred bidder for the site who will effectively deliver the homes, the commercial floorspace, the leisure opportunities and the highways, infrastructure with the contribution effectively from the health and the Housing infrastructure fund and the local growth fund that previously been agreed by by Cabinet.

  So effectively no cost to the council, but we'll be using the kind of external funds to facilitate the delivery of the sites. And as Constable Bennett said, there's a number of kind of commercial aspects to that which obviously can be dealt with in the confidential session. But the recommendations here are that the Council as effectively the single sole shareholder of Buckinghamshire Advantage, who effectively have the options on the land and enables that, that that deal to proceed and for the site to then be developed in accordance with the existing planning permission."

   

• Cllr Mark Winn:

  "t's absolutely vital that we deliver this road south of the ongoing future of the town, its economy, the ability for residents to get through town. We've seen recently things like when Stoke Road been closed. The Apsley chaos that you get in town, that the road network as it's now been set up is outdated totally outdated for a growing town.

  And I share the frustration of my residents in times that residents across Salisbury about traffic congestion and I think we all did in Cabinet. And I think sometimes that's people don't realize how much it affects all of us. The fact that the congestion in town. So it's really vital that we deliver this eastern road south through this project and in fields and the road that will hopefully go ahead."

  Cllr Angela Macpherson:

  "I agree with Mark totally. And I'm going to say what I said. I think at the last Cabinet meeting that this this we absolutely have to put the foot down on this. But what slightly bothers me that isn't included in what's going to be brought forward in this and bearing in mind we've got Hampton Fields as a major development is any health provision and I'd like that minuted please."

  Steve Bambrick, corporate director of planning, growth and sustainability:

  "So as part of the preparation and the local plan, we will consult with and engage with health care providers as with other infrastructure providers in order for them to input into the plan there, their requirements and their expectations around how we accommodate new growth across the county.

  And in the absence of that as further consultation, that takes place as part of any specific planning application comes forward, an opportunity there as well for health providers to provide an input on their expectations. So in relation to this particular site, as part of the preparation of the plan, there was no requirement forthcoming from the health system, effectively saying that they needed provision and equally as part of the planning application, because of course this site has planning permission that that requirement wasn't made either and they have a slightly different strategy which is not seeking to provide individual provision on individual sites, but more looking to consolidate that provision in one larger location.

  Now that's a decision for them, our approach as planning authority is to try and accommodate their needs as of when they make them known to us through consultations."

  Cllr mark Winn:

  "I really need to echo what Angela said about health provision.
  
  I've seen this as a councilor for the last 11 years in this area. I've seen at these developments come forward. I've seen the developers actually put forward sites. I've then seen the health services say we can't accommodate them, we can't man those sites. And the health services here really need to up their game in terms of providing these sites for a growing population.

  They know that this town is growing and they need to do something about it. It's not down to us to actually provide it. It's down to the NHS to actually provide these services. They've been letting down the residents for too many years on this. We've seen developments take place in Kingsbrook that hasn't got any health services on it. they've just expanded services around it. It's just not adequate and they need to do something about it."

   

   

Bucks Council Documents can be Viewed Here:

Woodlands Development site

Appendix 7 for Woodlands Development site