Wycombe District Council officers are recommending that politicians approve proposals to release five reserve sites.

In documents released ahead of Monday’s cabinet meeting, officers stated the sites should be released “to assist in delivering housing to contribute towards the council’s rolling five year housing land supply, because of the over-riding importance of ensuring as much local control as possible on the future development of those sites and because the sites have been reserved for development for many years.

“In order to respond to the strength of public interest and concerns, this decision will be taken forward with the involvement of specific liaison groups, one for each site, together with a High Wycombe roundtable to consider the town wide infrastructure implications.”

Officers detailed five options available to councillors.

These are:

1. Do nothing – don’t released the reserve sites for development now;

2. Release some of the reserve sites now for development and hold others back or phase them for later on;

3. Don’t do anything until we have assessed all the options for addressing the housing land shortfall;

4. Release other Greenfield sites now in less constrained parts of the district (eg Princes Risborough), rather than the reserve sites;

5. Planned release of the reserve sites now, involving the preparation of development briefs to shape planning applications for the sites.

Officers recommend politicians opt for option five.