Fairford Leys

Fairford Leys centre
Fairford Leys centre
	; Fairford Leys Centre.
	Fairford Leys centre Location within Buckinghamshire
Population	4,858 (2011 Census)(Coldharbour Parish)
OS grid reference	SP7913
Civil parish	Coldharbour;
Unitary authority	Buckinghamshire;
Ceremonial county	Buckinghamshire;
Region	South East;
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	Aylesbury
Postcode district	HP19
Dialling code	01296
Police	Thames Valley
Fire	Buckinghamshire
Ambulance	South Central
UK Parliament	Aylesbury;
	List of places UK England Buckinghamshire 51°48′55″N 0°50′16″W / 51.8152°N 0.8379°WCoordinates: 51°48′55″N 0°50′16″W / 51.8152°N 0.8379°W

Fairford Leys is a housing development in Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, England, designed in the urban village style, with the street and block layout geared to pedestrians more than cars. The three main developers of the development were bound by a design code to ensure architectural cohesion and this is maintained through covenants on the deeds of each property.

Concept[]

Fairford Leys is a mixed use development consisting of 1,900 homes, on the western edge of Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, England. It has its own centre, centred around a square, hosting a number of traditionally fronted shops, award-winning hair salon, supermarket, three restaurants, a nursery, an ecumenical church and a community centre.^[2] It also has a private health club with swimming pool which opened in October 2003. The civil parish for Fairford Leys is Coldharbour which is an Aylesbury Vale district. Its northern portion is home to a modern industrial area.

The development is an example of an urban village, which is a town planning concept started in the UK in the late 1990s, with its roots in new urbanism and garden city ideals. The emphasis for this type of development is to focus on pedestrians over cars and other forms of community interaction. Fairford Leys is one of the first examples of a development planned using a , championed by John Prescott and the Labour government of the late 1990s. The aim of the code was to create an urban village development and it sets out design rules during, and also after, the construction phase, to ensure the individual developers all build to the same design details and to create cohesion to the appearance of the development as a whole. The driving force behind this was the original landowner, the Ernest Cook Trust. The architecture is inspired by traditional Aylesbury housing styles and pastiche Victorian lamp posts and railings. The centre of the estate is surrounded by the "city wall", a concept originating from the masterplanner John Simpson and inspired by medieval city walls, such as York. This consists of three- and four-storey townhouses and the main entrance to the centre is marked by two towers, loosely modelled on medieval gate towers.

Developments in Fairford Leys are controlled by the 16-page guidelines, which are a summary of some of the important aspects of the original Design Code. They govern the look and materials used in several aspects of construction, including roof materials, chimneys, window materials, front boundary fences and planting, and front door colours.^[3]

The centre contains a higher density of housing, with larger detached properties at the edge of the estate. Originally the design included play areas, open spaces, playing fields and a golf course.^{[citation needed]} The golf course has since been closed and fenced off due to the route of the impending HS2 crossing the area.

Facilities[]

Fairford Leys has its own parish council (Coldharbour Parish), a beauty salon, primary school, GPs' practice and neighbouring pharmacy, veterinary practice, Women's Institute, ecumenical church, and a community centre (known as the Fairford Leys Centre), which hosts a wide variety of events and activities, including dance classes, badminton, karate, children's parties, wedding receptions, corporate functions and council meetings. The main centre was officially opened in November 2004.

Education[]

St Mary's Church of England School is a mixed, voluntary controlled, primary school, which has about 320 pupils from the ages of four to 11. It was purpose built for the Fairford Leys estate but the education authority (Bucks County Council) underestimated the number of children that would live within the Estate. Consequently, a number of children living within Fairford Leys cannot get a place.^[4] In 2009, Buckinghamshire County Council estimate that up to 44 children will not be able to take up a place.^{[citation needed]}

Transport[]

Fairford Leys is served by a popular bus service, the Silver Rider. It commenced in 2004 and runs directly to Aylesbury town centre in around 15 minutes, designed to run at times to suit commuter travel from Aylesbury Station to London.

References[]

^ Neighbourhood Statistics 2011 census, Accessed 2 February 2013
^ "Fairford Leys History | ColdharBour Parish Council". www.coldharbour-pc.gov.uk. Retrieved 25 October 2019.
^ Harris, John (6 April 2013). "Welcome to Toytown: what life is like in new-build Britain". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 25 October 2019.
^ http://www.buckscc.gov.uk/bcc/get/assets/docs/schools/Fairford_Leys_Parents_Consultation.pdf^{[permanent dead link]}

External links[]

[1] Neighbourhood Statistics 2011 census, Accessed 2 February 2013

[2] "Fairford Leys History | ColdharBour Parish Council". www.coldharbour-pc.gov.uk. Retrieved 25 October 2019.

[3] Harris, John (6 April 2013). "Welcome to Toytown: what life is like in new-build Britain". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 25 October 2019.

[4] ttp://www.buckscc.gov.uk/bcc/get/assets/docs/schools/Fairford_Leys_Parents_Consultation.pdf^{[permanent dead link]}

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Wards, suburbs, hamlets and neighbourhoods	Bedgrove Berryfields Broughton California Elm Farm Elmhurst Fairford Leys Haydon Hill New Zealand Prebendal Farm Quarrendon Queens Park Southcourt Turnfurlong Walton Walton Court Watermead Weedon Hill
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