Written evidence from South Bucks and Chiltern District Councils (STA0043)

 

Introduction and description of South Bucks and Chiltern

              Location

  1. South Bucks and Chiltern District Councils form the southern part of Buckinghamshire. The Great Western Mainline passes through the southern part of South Bucks serving Iver, Burnham and Taplow and Chiltern Railways services to Aylesbury and Birmingham pass through the towns of Denham, Gerrards Cross and Beaconsfield and Amersham. London Underground services also serve Amersham and Chesham. In most respects the Districts are well served by rail and road particularly as the M25, M4 and M40 pass through South Bucks and are easily accessible from Chiltern.  The one major exception to this is access to the airports and in particular Heathrow.  Access is only possible by road unless one travels by train into London and then back out. Many travellers to Heathrow therefore drive particularly in view of the proximity of Heathrow to the southern part of South Bucks, for example Iver is only 5 miles from Heathrow Airport and the location of many airport workers homes. This (unnecessary) traffic adds to congestion on the motorway network. There are limited bus services to Heathrow but not convenient for most – and no local bus services from Iver area – the closest to Heathrow. 

 

  1. Improved surface transport access to airports from the Home Counties such as Buckinghamshire should be a priority and would assist in reducing road congestion (and improve air quality) and reduce the number of vehicles needing to park at the airports.

 

Employment

 

  1. The District s are the location of a number of major international employers including Pinewood, GE Healthcare, Bosch, IHG etc . Of course the proximity to London and Heathrow are one of the prime reasons for their location.

 

  1. South Bucks is also the location of the world class centre of Eton Dorney rowing lake which played a prominent role in the 2012 Olympic games and is regularly used for international events attracting large numbers of competitors and spectators.

 

  1. One of the primary factors for companies locating in the Districts is the exceptional quality of life taking account of excellent education and the beautiful countryside including the Chilterns Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The Councils regularly feature in quality of life surveys.

 

  1. This is also a factor in people’s desire to live within the Districts.  The high proportion of Green Belt in the Districts mean that there is not sufficient housing to cope with demand leading to high house prices.. The average price of a home in towns like Amersham and Beaconsfield is worth 20 times as much as an annual local salary and 40% of people live in detached houses. Migration from London into the Districts is high pushing up local house prices.

 

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Issues with regard to Heathrow

 

  1. South Bucks is one of the 8 local authorities identified by Airports Commission as affected by the expansion of Heathrow.  A sub –regional planning group has recently been set up by Heathrow Airport Ltd to create a forum for discussions with local authorities and South Bucks is a member.

 

  1. Heathrow Airport is a major local employer and invaluable to local business travellers who live and work in District.

 

  1. South Bucks is the location of 4 proposed major infrastructure projects;HS2 Western Rail Access Crossrail (services scheduled to start late 2019 following electrification of Great Western line and rebuilding of stations at Iver and Taplow) and of course potentially expansion of Heathrow Airport to include a third runway.

 

  1. Chiltern Railways serves all parts of Bucks – including the 2 remaining Bucks Districts of Wycombe and Aylesbury Vale.-Chiltern Railways is currently concerned about HS2s recent proposal to sever the existing Chiltern railways line into Paddington at Old Oak Common. This means that the proposed Chiltern Railways services stopping at Old Oak Common which would improve access from Buckinghamshire into Heathrow – potentially the sole benefit of HS2 proposals to Bucks is now being destroyed by a late amendment by HS2 to the Hybrid Bill. Chiltern Railways is being supported by all 4 District Councils and Bucks CC in protesting against this proposal.

 

  1. The Importance of Western Rail Access proposals to south Buckinghamshire via Slough cannot be underestimated.  It is a critical means of access to Heathrow for anyone travelling along the Thames Valley. It will also reduce traffic along the M4 corridor and save a considerable journey time for those accessing the airport from the west.  Any potential delay to the delivery of the scheme would send wrong signals particularly to major international employers in Thames Valley who have been promoting this scheme through the LEP.

 

October 2015