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Letter from the Leader of South Oxfordshire District Council to the Planning Inspector for the public examination of the South Oxfordshire Local Plan

Released on August 25, 2020

On Wednesday 26 August, Cllr Sue Cooper, Leader of South Oxfordshire District Council, sent the following letter to Mr Jonathan Bore, Planning Inspector for the public examination of the South Oxfordshire Local Plan.  You can also download a copy of the lettter (173.3 KB)  .

Dear Mr Bore

I am writing about the emerging South Oxfordshire Local Plan 2034, which is being progressed through inspection and adoption by the Council under a Direction of the Secretary of State.

The unusual situation of progressing a plan under a Direction like this meant that the hearings were a unique challenge, obviously for yourself (very well handled by you if I may say so, thank you.) but also for council officers, councillors and the public, notwithstanding the fact that this was the first time in UK history for Local Plan examination hearings to be held remotely via a video conference and broadcast live to thousands of viewers.

Now those hearings are closed, and the plan is in your hands for final consideration and amendment where required.  As you determine whether the plan is justified and meets all the other tests of soundness,  I have no doubt you will be reflecting on the important views expressed by members of the many communities that make up South Oxfordshire, both before and during the hearings. 

I am sure you will give careful consideration to the topics on which so many speakers expressed strong opinions. Many of the views expressed reflect the key areas of concern that my council’s Cabinet also expressed about the emerging Local Plan at its public meeting on 3 October 2019, which was held before the Secretary of State’s initial temporary holding Direction relating to the plan.  This meeting was the last democratic process that the emerging Local Plan went through at South Oxfordshire District Council prior to the holding Direction being put in place.

You will be aware that the recorded outcome of that democratic process before the Secretary of State’s Directions was that my Cabinet made a recommendation to Council to withdraw the plan because it was seriously concerned about several key areas within the plan. I would summarise these as:

  • The overall level of homes proposed within the plan period is much higher than that required to meet South Oxfordshire’s need, even allowing provision for commitments made towards Oxford City’s unmet housing need and the Oxfordshire Housing and Growth Deal
  • The impact of these overall numbers on the scale of Green Belt release required to achieve them.
  • The need to re-evaluate sustainability and deliverability of the strategic sites given the increasing awareness of Climate Change.
  • The need to reconsider mix and density so that any development addresses the needs of South Oxfordshire going forward and positively impacts affordability.
  • The local plan, as submitted to you, does not give sufficient weight to responding to the climate emergency that we face, as recognised by the Council’s declaration of a Climate Emergency on 11 April 2019.

The Council was not able to consider this recommendation, initially because of the temporary holding Direction of October 2019 and then because of the Direction that came at the start of 2020 to take the plan through examination. Rather than seek to challenge the Direction, I accepted the advice I received from officials at the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government and others that due consideration of these key areas of concern would form part of the inspection process.  I firmly hope that you will have been able to consider them appropriately, in line with the commitment you made at the commencement of the Hearings, which I thank you for. I look forward to your recommended changes to the Plan that will bring it more into line with the views of the present democratically-elected administration and the interests of both South Oxfordshire residents and the wider area.

I do appreciate that the unusual circumstances around this examination and the remote hearings must have created additional challenges for you also, so thank you for taking the time to read this letter at what is no doubt a very busy time for you and a time that is of critical importance to residents and business across South Oxfordshire.

Yours sincerely

Councillor Sue Cooper

Leader of the Council

CC: Mark Stone, Chief Executive for South Oxfordshire District Council

       David Johnston, Member of Parliament for Wantage

       John Howell, Member of Parliament for Henley