Holtspur Lane houses and a Wycombe Lane property would join Wooburn Green's conservation area, first drawn in 1971. Comments close on 29 November.

Buckinghamshire Council wants to make the Wooburn Green Conservation Area bigger. The area was designated in 1971, and the council’s review says a look at its boundary is overdue. Two groups of early 20th century houses on Holtspur Lane and a single property on Wycombe Lane would come inside the boundary. A small stretch on Windsor Lane would be redrawn.

The council opened a six-week consultation on 19 October. It closes at 11.59pm on Sunday 29 November. (Buckinghamshire Council, 19 October 2026)

Wooburn Green is about four miles south-east of High Wycombe town centre, in the Wye valley on the way to Bourne End.

What would change

The council’s press release mentions “three suggested changes” but does not say what they are. They are set out in chapter 8 of the draft conservation area appraisal, and shown on a separate boundary map:

  • Holtspur Lane: two groups of houses added. One is four pairs of semi-detached houses with rendered walls, plain tiled roofs, bay windows and full-width canopies. The other is six semi-detached houses in red brick and tile, also with bay windows. The appraisal calls them early 20th century “ribbon development” that shows how the village grew.
  • Wycombe Lane: one property added. It is a free-standing brick and tile building with tall chimneys and a decorated timber porch at the back. The appraisal admits it has been altered, with lost windows, a changed former shopfront and a new canopy. It says enough survives, and that the building is part of “the gateway into the centre of Wooburn Green”.
  • Windsor Lane: a minor adjustment. Building there has left the old line out of step with what is on the ground. The council proposes a “more logical boundary” that follows physical features.

The appraisal is candid about the Holtspur Lane houses too. One of the red brick houses has been painted white, and many doors and windows are not original. It argues that the groups still “complement the wider character” of houses set back behind front gardens.

Why now

The appraisal says a review of the boundary “is overdue”. The appraisal it would replace is a character survey from 1995. Councils have a legal duty to review their conservation areas from time to time, under section 69 of the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990.

The draft describes what the area protects. The Green is the centre of it and dates back to Saxon times. There are 17 listed buildings, all Grade II, mostly around The Green with a smaller group by the Manor House. An Archaeological Notification Area covers the whole conservation area, because of the former Bishop’s Palace and the Wharton family’s mansion and grounds.

That history runs deep. The appraisal says the manor belonged to Earl Harold in 1066 and then to the Bishops of Lincoln. Philip, Lord Wharton, a Parliamentarian commander, inherited it in 1643. The mansion was demolished in 1964, and the Wooburn Park estate was built inside its moated grounds.

What it means for you

If you own one of the houses that would be added, conservation area status brings some extra controls. The appraisal’s own answers say:

  • it does not stop you changing or extending your home, but plans must respect the area’s character
  • permitted development rights still apply, though they are more restricted
  • demolition is controlled through the planning process
  • trees with a trunk at least 75mm across, measured 1.5 metres above the ground, are protected, so you must tell the council before working on them
  • repairs, like-for-like maintenance and internal alterations do not normally need permission, unless the building is listed

If you want a say, there are three ways to respond: the online survey, an email to ConservationAreaConsultations@buckinghamshire.gov.uk, or a letter to the Heritage and Archaeology Team at The Gateway, Gatehouse Road, Aylesbury HP19 8FF.

The council’s heritage team will be at St Paul’s Church Hall, Town Lane, HP10 0PW to answer questions:

Day Time
Wednesday 4 November 4pm to 5.30pm
Thursday 5 November 12.30pm to 2pm

After the consultation closes, the council will consider the responses, then take the boundary changes forward for formal designation. The appraisal will be amended and adopted once the new boundary is approved.

Other planning news from around the district is on our planning news page.

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