The Central & North Buckinghamshire Area Planning Committee met on Wednesday 4 February 2026, approving a loft conversion in Weston Turville and a variation to the conditions of a children's home in Aylesbury.

Loft Conversion Approved in Weston Turville

The committee approved an application for a loft conversion at 17 Walton Place, Weston Turville, Buckinghamshire HP22 5RB. The proposal includes a rear-facing dormer and front-facing rooflights. The decision was made subject to conditions and informatives as detailed in the report. The case officer's report noted that one of the applicants is an employee of Buckinghamshire Council's Planning and Environment department, which is why the application was brought before the committee for transparency.

The report detailed amendments to the original documentation, including clarifications on the positioning of rooflights and their impact on overlooking, as well as adjustments to wording regarding flood risk. The application was evaluated against policies in the Vale of Aylesbury Local Plan (VALP) and the Weston Turville Neighbourhood Plan, with officers concluding it was acceptable in terms of design, residential amenity, transport, parking, flooding, ecology, landscape, and the historic environment. An objection had been received from a neighbour citing concerns about the proposal being overbearing and resulting in a loss of privacy and outlook. However, the report stated that the proposed rooflights would provide light rather than significant outlook, and the dormer window, being set in from the sides and down from the ridgeline, would not be visible from the public domain.

Variation for Children's Home Approved in Aylesbury

The committee also approved a variation of condition 4 for a property at 33 Gwendoline Buck Drive, Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire HP21 9FN, relating to its use as a children's home. The application sought to extend the age range of children cared for from 10-16 years to 10-18 years. This variation was approved subject to conditions as set out in the report.

The application was called in by Ward Members Councillor Sherrilyn Bateman and Councillor Tim Dixon, who echoed residents' concerns about the impact of increasing the age range on residential amenities and the management of the care home. The report noted that the principle of the development as a C2 use (children's home) had already been established by a previous planning permission (reference 24/03207/APP). The current application, made under Section 73 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990, focused solely on the variation of the condition regarding the age of the children.

The case officer's report indicated that no external changes were proposed and that the variation would not lead to an increase in the number of children or comings and goings, thus not significantly impacting parking, noise, disturbance, or highway safety. Despite objections from residents and the Ward Members, the report concluded that there was no substantive evidence to support concerns about detrimental impacts on neighbouring amenity. The committee also resolved that the Chairman, on behalf of the Committee, would write to the Cabinet Member for Planning to raise the issue of multiple properties being converted to children's homes in limited areas for consideration in the emerging Local Plan, and to the Cabinet Member for Children's Services to ensure awareness of non-council owned children's homes that have been granted planning approval.