| Client | Dandara Living |
|---|---|
| Turley office | London |
| Status | Planning permission granted |
| LPA | Buckinghamshire Council |
Regenerating a key town centre site in High Wycombe
Our role
- Our client, Dandara Living, was set the challenge to unlock the site’s potential for sustainable urban living, integrating new built form from 4 to 10-storeys and private and public spaces into its historic townscape. The project balances diverse uses, heritage preservation, architectural quality, public realm improvements and the sensitivities of the conservation area, listed buildings and key townscape views.
- Our Heritage, Townscape and Landscape team provided detailed analysis of the history and built heritage, townscape and visual context of the site, which was used actively to inform the ongoing design and development process. This included visibility and key views testing to look to ensure that the impacts of the redevelopment at height and remodelled form and appearance on nearby heritage assets was appropriately and rigorously considered and then assessed. Our team worked in collaboration with officers at Buckinghamshire Council as part of constructive pre-application engagement.
- Our specialist team prepared a comprehensive built Heritage, Townscape, and Visual Impact Assessment to support the final scheme proposals. It detailed the site’s history, heritage significance and setting, along with the evolution of the design in response to stakeholder engagement and its policy impacts. Further updates were prepared to assist officers and support revisions during the determination period.
Results
- This brownfield urban site and existing modern shopping centre is located within the historic town centre of High Wycombe, near to the Parish Church and alongside the ancient Frogmoor market place. The existing modern building was underused and unattractive, and the number of historic building integrated into this shopping complex in need a viable future use and repair and rehabilitation.
- Members of Buckinghamshire Council’s West Area Planning Committee voted unanimously in support of the scheme at a meeting held in February 2025, following officer recommendation for approval. The approval of this application secures 303 new build-to-rent homes, the retention and refurbishment of local heritage assets, the refurbishment of 6 retail units and extensive public realm work across the site.