New Flats in Southcourt
I previously wrote about the demolition of 15 California (House Demolition in Southcourt) which was a small terraced house sandwiched between the Grand Central development and the Bourg Walk bridge. A planning application (PL/25/2911/FA) was submitted in August 2025 for Demolition of existing dwelling and construction of 4 x 2-bed units and 6 x 1-bed units within two distinct blocks. (Part retrospective).
Development History
This site was subject to two previous approved planning applications.
12/00519/APP for construction of four maisonettes
19/04118/APP change of use to an Islamic cultural centre
Neither application was built. The charity behind the Islamic cultural centre found a different site elsewhere in Aylesbury.
The current owner of the site is a Special Purpose Vehicle limited company, A&M Aylesbury Ltd. I checked the accounts and ownership records and suspect another entity funded the purchase. The accounts show £183559 of tangible assets, which is presumably 15 Coxhill Way, and Creditors falling due after more than one year of £220996, which appears to be the funding source.
Small company accounts do not require much details so the funding is opaque. The source of the funding could be a mortgage, which is unlikely given the site and the accounts. The funding is more likely to be either loans from directors or another entity in a related group of companies.
The Development
This is what the site looked like in March 2025 following demolition.
The proposed development is a long thin set of flats that will occupy the entire site and extend to three stories. A three story wall will face the Bourg Walk bridge abutting the path.
The plans call for 4 x 2 bedroom apartments and 6 x 1 bedroom apartments. According to the plans, the development will be in two blocks but in reality it is a single development.
Issues That I Have With The Development
I welcome new housing in Aylesbury because we need additional homes, especially homes that are market affordable, which these will be. However there are significant issues with this development, which I outline below.
I encourage you to read PL/25/2911/FA and make your own mind up on whether this development is a good idea or not. On balance, I am against this particular development.
Parking
The development is listed as a zero car development, in-line with the local plan. Every other development in the town without some parking has caused parking issues. The 15 Coxhill Way site is bounded by two parking zones, the controlled parking zone in Coxhill Way / Grand Central (permit parking with enforcement), and the uncontrolled parking zone in Penn Road.
Residents at the proposed development will own cars, or have visitors with cars. That is inevitable. What will happen is spill over into both parking zones. Residents on Penn Road will face increased competition for scarce parking spots. The small residents car parking site at the end of Penn Road will become a battle ground.
Overdevelopment
Several objections have been raised about overdevelopment. Notably by the Town Council. The site is already in a dense zone but trying to shoehorn a three story building into a narrow site is a step too far.
You can see how small the site is from the ground level photos.
Construction Access
The only access to the site for construction vehicles will be via Coxhill Way. Coxhill way is a constrained road that can only be accessed by two bridges from Penn Road. Penn Road is difficult to navigate on a good day because of parked cars.
The construction of a three story building will required a very substantial number of lorry journeys. The concrete pour for the foundation could take a dozen concrete lorries.
There is also no provision in the plans for where trades vans will park whilst the first and second fix takes place. Because there is no on-site parking.