Fairford Leys is an imaginative new village style development situated in the south west area of Aylesbury. It has its own village centre with a range of traditionally fronted shops, a restaurant, nursery, an ecumenical church and a community centre. It even boasts a superb Cannons Health Club which was opened in October 2003 as well as a number of thriving office-based businesses that also operate from this unique centre.

A great deal of thought and planning has gone into creating a village environment with distinctive architecture inspired by traditional Aylesbury housing styles and features Victorian-style lamp posts and railings. The centre of the village has smaller, higher-density housing, with larger detached properties at the edge of the village. The design includes plenty of play areas, open spaces, playing fields and a golf course.

The estate is built on land belonging to The Ernest Cook Trust, a nationally operating, charitable foundation with interests in land ownership, conservation, architecture, design and community development. To ensure that the positive aspects of all these concerns are reflected in the achievement of Fairford Leys, the Trust has worked closely with the Aylesbury Vale District Council for over 14 years largely through its masterplanner, the well-known architect John Simpson and with the builders Bryant (now part of Taylor Woodrow) and Wimpey Homes.

Fairford Leys provides housing from single-bedroom starter homes to five-bedroom detached properties, which has ensured that its population is representative of all life stages, from young singles, through young and growing families, to the retired and the elderly. The hope that people would want to stay in Fairford Leys, moving house within the village as their family needs change, is already being realised.

Many residents work locally, while others commute, and those that are around during the day have found time to develop such initiatives as the Mother and Toddler Group and the Friendship Club, which are playing a significant role in helping to build a sense of community.

Fairford Leys has its own Parish Council, primary school, doctor's surgery and neighbouring pharmacy, veterinary practice, Women's Institute (WI), 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 village centre was officially opened in November 2004.

:: top ::