Changing Places Aylesbury case study

location/topography

• bustling market town, Buckinghamshire, south east England

physical geography

• flat topography, around 72.5m above sea level

• south east of river thames

• Grand Union Canal - completed in 1815 and runs 10km to Aylesbury

demographic characteristics

• Population risen by 10.3% since 2013

• population just below 4000 in central ward (2011/2021 data), entire civil parish ~64000 (2021)

• majority of population white (~70%), however some sources say 81% (2021 census but for Aylesbury North, larger than Central Ward but smaller than civil parish)

• 48.3% of Aylesbury Central Ward have 5+ GCSEs/O levels

• 2026 - overall crime rate in Aylesbury, approximately 84 crimes per 1,000 people, which is 44% higher than the general Buckinghamshire rate of 58 per 1,000

• Aylesbury is classified as the most dangerous major town in Buckinghamshire

built environment/infrastructure

• Very mixed built environment - range of buildings, the style of architecture is not coherent throughout the area

• ‘Tower of power’ - nickname for new county hall office building, brutalist style that divides public opinion (dominates skyline)

• Built in 1966, the architect wanted the idea of brutalism to spread, but did not (hence lack of coherence)

land use

• market square - markets three times a week (W,F,Sa) - economic and cultural importance

• transport hubs

• restaurants/recreation

• shopping - Friar’s Square (built 1967) and Hale Leys - generate vital local employment, attract millions in regional footfall, over 4 million annual visitors

• exchange development, 2019 - Aylesbury town centre's first purpose-built mixed restaurant, commercial and residential development - £16 million, mixed-use regeneration project

economic characteristics

• 685 businesses have offices in Aylesbury that offer 10,300 jobs to locals - 2011 census data

• 73.1% of 16-74 year olds were in employment - 2011 census data

heritage and history

• history as an old market town

• held markets since the 13th century, and they are still held 3 times a week

flow of ideas

• Brutalism - county hall (idea of brutalism) that has shaped the place, although not caught on to surrounding built environment

• connection to paralympic movement - public art to commemorate stoke mandeville games

flows of investment

• Oxford-Cambridge economic corridor - A major centre for the UK’s hi-tech, manufacturing and research industries

• Buckinghamshire council - ‘Aylesbury town centre will be a thriving civic and commercial heart and a destination for exchange, commerce and leisure.’

• East-west rail partial completion, will improve this corridor

flows of people, commuter town

• Transport links and wider relations with the capital

• railway and Grand Union Canal

• designated as a London overspill town in the 1960s (external force) - affected Aylesbury by inducing massive wave of housing and industrial development, and transforming Aylesbury from a traditional market town into a bustling, commuter-heavy hub

• HS2 - linking London and Birmingham, almost exclusively disruptive to Aylesbury and surrounding areas, but provides zero passenger benefits

Aylesbury Garden Town (flows of ideas and investment)

• Garden towns are an initiative of the national government, with associated national funding

• awarded Garden Town status by the Government in 2017

• Over 16,000 new homes, together with significant new employment space, is proposed with the majority to be delivered on six large allocated sites at the edge of the built-up area - built between 2020s-30s

WWII Bombing - past connection

• The town was impacted by the Blitz

• A notable 1940 German landmine dropped in the Walton Street area damaged infrastructure and caused casualties, leaving lasting marks on Aylesbury’s physical landscape

• Even in recent years, unexploded WWII ordnance (such as in Bedgrove Park) has necessitated temporary security cordons

• The town provided a safe haven for evacuees - RAF Halton and Stoke Mandeville Hospital were originally used to treat the wounded Allied forces