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ITEM EX 19 -

ANNEX 1

EXECUTIVE – 22 JANUARY 2002

OXFORDSHIRE STRUCTURE PLAN REVIEW – DRAFT ISSUES PAPER

STRUCTURE PLAN REVIEW – DRAFT ISSUES PAPER

1. This is the first stage of making important decisions about the future of Oxfordshire. Oxfordshire County Council is reviewing the Oxfordshire Structure Plan which will guide where new homes will be built and jobs created up to the year 2016 and perhaps beyond. This is an opportunity for you to help shape these plans – giving us your views now could make a real difference.

What is the Oxfordshire Structure Plan?

2. The Structure Plan sets the framework for new development in the County, and usually looks forward for 10 to 15 years. The current Oxfordshire Structure Plan was adopted in August 1998, and covers the period up to 2011. Its fundamental strategy is that most development should take place at the country towns of Banbury, Bicester, Didcot and Witney, whilst limiting development elsewhere. It also tries to ensure development protects the environment and promotes quality of life by encouraging the use of public transport, cycling and walking, and the wise use of energy and natural resources.

Why is the Structure Plan being Reviewed?

3. Structure Plans are reviewed periodically so that they remain up to date and look far enough ahead to enable more detailed plans for development to be made. The population of Oxfordshire continues to grow, and many more households will be created in the years ahead meaning more new houses will be needed in the future. The economy in Oxfordshire is successful and growing, and is one of the drivers of in-migration and population growth. The new plan will need to consider how the economy should grow in the future and what new development will be needed to support this. People will need more shops, leisure facilities and other services, but these will also need to be accessible to all, particularly those without cars. How this is to be achieved, whilst protecting the environment and natural resources, is a fundamental issue for the future of Oxfordshire.

What Guidance is there for Reviewing the Structure Plan?

4. The County Council must take into account Government planning guidance. This is set out in a series of Planning Policy Guidance Notes (PPGs) and other guidance, which are referred to throughout the Issues Paper. Of key significance is Regional Planning Guidance for the South East (RPG9), which provides the framework for the preparation of structure and local plans in the South East region up to 2016.

What is the Purpose of the Issues Paper?

5. Before the content of the Structure Plan is revised, the County Council would like to find out what people’s views are on the key issues facing Oxfordshire in the future.
6. The County Council in particular wants to know if you agree with the issues identified in this paper, whether there are any other issues which the Structure Plan should take into account, and what the priorities should be for the future planning of Oxfordshire.

How you can comment

7. The issues paper raises a number of questions which the County Council would like views about. The questions are also included at the end in a questionnaire for you to complete, together with space for you to comment on other issues.
8. Please return your questionnaire and comments by ……… 2002 to:

The Director of Environmental Services

Oxfordshire County Council

Speedwell House, Speedwell Street, Oxford OX1 1NE

 

Issue 1 - Aims of the Structure Plan

9. A fundamental issue for the review is how to achieve development which is sustainable now and in the long term. The most widely accepted definition of sustainable development is probably that of the Brundtland Commission: "Development which meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs". In order to do this, the aims of the plan must be right, as they will give the context for the policies in the plan, and give them direction.
10. The Government’s objectives for sustainable development are set out in the "Strategy for Sustainable Development in the UK":

• Social progress which recognises the needs of everyone.
• Effective protection of the environment.
• Prudent use of natural resources.
• Maintenance of high and stable levels of economic growth and employment.

11. The proposed aims and objectives for the Oxfordshire Structure Plan are set out below. They have been drawn up to reflect the Government’s sustainable development objectives, the County Council’s own aspirations for the future of Oxfordshire, and the aims of the emerging Community Strategy. [Could be expanded as Community Strategy etc develops]

12. There will always be conflict between achieving prosperity in the County, building homes and communities, and maintaining Oxfordshire’s unique and high quality environment now and in the future. Having no further development is not an option – the population is growing and people will continue to want to move into Oxfordshire, so new homes and jobs will be needed. The Structure Plan has an important role in planning for the future, and finding the right balance between the objectives is at the heart of the review. The key question is how to support a successful and growing economy without fuelling pressures on the supply of housing, adding to congestion and infrastructure problems, and damaging the environment and character of the County which contributes towards that success.
13. The County Council already monitors change, such as the amount of development which takes place around the County, and has developed a range of quality of life indicators. Targets to measure progress towards achieving the Structure Plan aims and objectives will be developed during the review.

• Protecting and enhancing the environment and character of Oxfordshire.
• Encouraging the efficient use of land and natural resources.
• Improving the quality of life of Oxfordshire’s residents.
• Promoting economic prosperity.

14. The South East region plays an important role in the national economy and provides a gateway to Europe. Within the South East, the Oxfordshire economy is one of the most successful and currently has one of the lowest rates of unemployment in the country. Key employment sectors within Oxfordshire are service industries, particularly education and health, publishing and printing, and manufacturing, including high technology and motor vehicles. Oxfordshire also has a strong research and development sector, particularly biotechnology, and is a world centre for racing car design and manufacture.
15. However, economic success also brings its own problems, such as traffic congestion, and the pressure on labour supply and recruitment difficulties which are currently being experienced throughout Oxfordshire. In particular, lower paid workers who provide essential services are increasingly unable to afford accommodation in the County. RPG9 specifically recognises this as an issue, and includes the southern part of the County (Oxford and South Oxfordshire district) within an area characterised by business service employment and high tech, knowledge based industries, and by increasing pressure on local infrastructure, land resources and house prices.
16. The concept of business clusters has recently been given more prominence to highlight and support groups of industries which are particularly valuable for economic growth. Government advice in RPG9 asks local authorities in the Thames Valley to find ways to enable existing and emerging business clusters to develop in a sustainable way. In Oxfordshire, existing clusters, such as biotechnology and motorsport, have developed successfully without specific guidance from the Structure Plan, although it has encouraged development such as the Oxford Science Park. Other factors, such as proximity to the universities and a high proportion of graduates in the workforce, are likely to have been significant factors in their development and success.
17. The County Council is keen to maintain and develop a prosperous and competitive economy within the context of maintaining a high quality environment. A new economic strategy for Oxfordshire has been prepared by the Oxfordshire Economic Partnership. This aims to improve the competitiveness and productivity of the Oxfordshire economy so that it ranks amongst the top ten sub-regions in Europe, whilst sustaining and enhancing the County’s environment, and to fulfil the employment potential of all Oxfordshire’s citizens.
18. The approach in the current Structure Plan is to ensure land is available in appropriate locations to meet the needs of small businesses, existing firms, and firms which need to be in Oxfordshire. The Plan also seeks to encourage new employment generating development in locations which contribute to reducing the need to travel. In the future an appropriate balance needs to be found between enabling development which will achieve the County Council’s economic aims while maintaining the quality of the environment and avoiding adding to pressures on labour supply and infrastructure.
19. The decline in employment in agriculture, together with more recent events, including the foot and mouth disease outbreak, which have not only affected farming but leisure and tourism business in the countryside, highlight the need to consider issues of poverty in rural areas as well as urban, and whether the Structure Plan can further assist the diversification of the rural economy. Access to employment opportunities is vital to achieving a good quality of life and thriving communities. Poverty maps have been prepared for Oxfordshire which show that although poverty is concentrated in the urban areas, it does occur in rural areas as well, particularly in the rural parts of north and west Oxfordshire which have an above average incidence of poverty.

Q. How do we maintain and develop a prosperous and competitive economy?

Q. Does the approach to economic development in the adopted Structure Plan create the right balance between providing for firms who need to be in Oxfordshire and protecting the environment and quality of life?

Q. Are there parts of Oxfordshire where we should encourage future job growth, for example in particular districts, towns or villages?

Q. Should the Structure Plan give specific encouragement to developing existing and new clusters?

Q. How should the Structure Plan assist the diversification of the rural economy?

 

Issue 3 - The Environment and Natural Resources

20. A high quality environment is widely held to be one of the factors which has contributed to Oxfordshire’s economic success, and contributes towards the quality of life of all Oxfordshire’s residents. The current Oxfordshire Structure Plan gives high priority to protecting the environment, character and natural resources of the County. Much of Oxfordshire’s countryside is protected by nationally important areas of outstanding natural beauty (AONBs), and the character of many towns and villages is protected through the designation of conservation areas. There are also areas of high quality agricultural land, and sites important for wildlife. A biodiversity Action Plan has been prepared for Oxfordshire which explains which habitats and species in Oxfordshire are the greatest priority for action in order to halt their decline and promote their recovery. In considering how to accommodate new development the character of the countryside and Oxfordshire’s towns and villages will come increasingly under pressure. The aim of protecting the environment may sometimes conflict with other economic and social objectives in terms of the location of new development.
21. New development will also create a need to use more resources, including minerals, energy and water. Efficient use of energy and other resources in new development is encouraged by the current Oxfordshire Structure Plan, and remains a significant issue in terms of long term sustainability, global climate change and local environmental quality.
22. The current Structure Plan recognises the importance of water resources, and states that new development should only be permitted where water resources exist or can be provided. Since the early 1990s Thames Water have been undertaking studies and developing proposals for a new reservoir in the Vale of White Horse district. The Structure Plan says that a new reservoir would only be permitted if there is a proven need and other measures have been taken to manage demand, such as controlling leakage. The Environment Agency have published a strategy for water resources, which states that there are now only limited further water resources available in the Thames region. Without further action to manage demand and reduce leakage, new strategic water resources could be needed within the region by 2025. The Environment Agency state that alternatives of new reservoir storage in the Upper Thames and transfers from the River Severn will need to be considered, including a smaller scale reservoir than previously proposed and consideration of alternative sites. Further work is being undertaken by Thames Water in conjunction with the Environment Agency about how best to meet needs for additional water resources.
23. Government policy seeks to limit the extraction of minerals and to encourage the use of alternative secondary and recycled sources. The Structure Plan provides the framework to ensure that necessary supplies of minerals are maintained whilst minimising the environmental impact of working.
24. The most important minerals worked in the County are sand and gravel which are used to build houses, roads, schools and in other construction work. Government policy for the supply of aggregates is under review and a key issue is the balance between supply from newly extracted sources and recycled materials. However, it is likely that additional land for sand and gravel extraction will need to be found, because recycling is not likely to provide sufficient supplies of aggregates to meet needs.
25. The Structure Plan identifies four main areas where the principle of sharp sand and gravel working is accepted – the Sutton Courtenay area, the Sutton Wick area, the Lower Windrush Valley and the Eynsham-Cassington-Yarnton area. These four locations together have sufficient deposits to maintain supplies of these minerals to 2011. In the longer term it may be that the four areas cannot reasonably provide sufficient additional land for sand and gravel working.
26. The main deposits of sharp sand and gravel are found in the Thames and Windrush valleys. Less extensive deposits are found in the valleys of the Cherwell, Evenlode, Ock and Thame. Sharp sand and gravel is also found in the Chilterns north of Reading and east of Wallingford and north of Bicester near Finmere. The valley gravels are generally of a good quality with the better quality gravels found downstream of Abingdon.
27. As part of the review we will need to appraise resources across the whole County and consider whether another area for working sand and gravel should be identified.
28. Waste is one of the most serious environmental problems facing Oxfordshire – the generation, treatment and disposal of waste on the current scale is not environmentally sustainable. Most of the waste produced in Oxfordshire is landfilled. However, the aim of Government policy is to reduce the amount of waste produced and re-use and recycle more of it so that only the residue remains to be disposed of to landfill. The adopted Oxfordshire Structure Plan encourages this, and also aims to ensure that the majority of Oxfordshire’s waste is treated or disposed of within the County to avoid unnecessary transport of waste.
29. The Government is committed to taking action to reduce the threat of global climate change by reducing emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases. This is partly to be achieved by increasing the amount of energy supplied from renewable sources, and the Government has set a target for 10% of UK electricity to be supplied from renewable sources by 2010. The South East England Regional Assembly (SEERA) has embarked on work to establish how the South East region can best contribute towards meeting this target. The adopted Structure Plan generally welcomes proposals for renewable energy development in Oxfordshire, including wind energy, subject to their impact on the environment, local communities, and traffic generation.

Q. Are we doing enough in the Structure Plan to protect the environment of Oxfordshire, and how should we manage the pressures on Oxfordshire’s environment and countryside?

Q. What should be the priorities in the Structure Plan to encourage efficient use of natural resources and energy in new development?

Q. Do you think that the Structure Plan should identify one or more new areas for sharp sand and gravel and if so where?

 

 

Issue 4 - The Amount and Type of Housing Development

30. New housing is necessary to ensure everyone has the opportunity of a decent home, and also to help support the local economy. The Government in regional planning guidance advises local authorities how many houses they should plan for. RPG9 states that in Oxfordshire, provision should be made for 2,430 houses to be built each year between 2001 and 2006 until regional guidance is reviewed. The RPG advises that where development plans are reviewed and the new plan extends beyond 2006, plans should continue to provide for additional dwellings at the same annual average rate until any different rate is adopted in a review of RPG. The RPG rate is slightly more than the current Oxfordshire Structure Plan, which plans for an average rate of 2,367 per year up to 2011.
31. The Government says that authorities must have regard for the overall level of housing provision set by regional planning guidance, and should avoid re-opening consideration of the amount which has been considered in full with the process of preparing RPG. Unlike previous regional planning guidance RPG9 does not include the provision for housing figures to be tested through reviews of Structure Plans. Instead, the level of housing provision in the region and its distribution will be subject to early review at the regional level. Outside this process, it does not seem possible to challenge the level of housing to be provided.
32. If the rate given in RPG9 is applied to the period 2001-2016, an additional 500 dwellings would need to be provided by 2011, in addition to the 35,500 already to be built in the current Oxfordshire Structure Plan. A further 12,150 houses would be required by 2016, some of which could be built on previously developed land within built up areas. An estimate of Oxfordshire’s urban capacity for new housing development is set out in paragraph 59. Roughly …% of new houses might need to be built on greenfield land up to 2016. [Figure to be calculated.]

 

What will providing for the level of housing in RPG mean for Oxfordshire?

33. The amount of housing in the RPG is likely to provide for existing Oxfordshire residents and a significant element of in-migration with people moving into Oxfordshire to take up jobs and/for other reasons. Accommodating this level of housing will require greenfield development. Other than Oxford and the larger towns, Oxfordshire’s settlements are largely small historic towns and villages. As they do not contain large tracts of derelict or vacant land it will be difficult to achieve a high proportion of new housing development to be built on previously developed land within urban areas.
34. It is not possible to prevent people moving into the County – Oxfordshire’s buoyant economy and high quality environment make it an attractive place to live. Building significantly fewer houses would reduce the amount of land needed for development, but affect other aspects of quality of life in Oxfordshire. If the economy continues to grow, building insufficient houses could add to recruitment difficulties and could result in labour shortages. The ability to provide affordable homes as a proportion of new houses built would be reduced, and more people may not be able to afford accommodation.
35. It could be argued that higher levels of housing development should be planned for to help support economic growth in the County. However, this would risk damaging the environmental qualities which make Oxfordshire an attractive place to live, work and do business, and which are widely considered to contribute towards economic success. More greenfield development would be needed, and pressure on roads and other infrastructure would increase.

What type of houses should be built?

36. Government advice in PPG3 encourages local authorities to provide for new housing development which creates a mix of types and sizes of houses. This is to take into account the forecast growth in different sizes of households, particularly one person households, and to help create balanced communities. The design and quality of new development can also go a long way to making places which are safe and attractive to live in. Ideas such as "home zones" , where priority is given to pedestrians and traffic speeds and car access is limited, are increasingly being considered. The review will need to consider whether the Structure Plan should go further than the adopted policy which simply encourages the provision of a variety of dwellings in terms of location, size and density.

Q What type of houses eg small, large, houses, flats, do you think should be built in Oxfordshire in the future?

Issue 5 - Meeting Needs for Affordable Housing

37. Everyone should have the opportunity of a decent home, yet affordability of housing is of growing concern in Oxfordshire, which is one of the most expensive counties in the UK in which to purchase a home. In April 2000 the cost of a house was on average seven times the average income. Together with very low unemployment rates the lack of affordable housing is a real threat to the economic success of the area. High house prices and rents are a major problem in the recruitment and retention of employees in Oxfordshire, particularly in low wage sectors such as nursing, teaching and public transport.
38. The greatest concentration of housing need is in Oxford and other large towns. However, there are also people in smaller towns and villages who cannot afford a home locally.
39. The provision of affordable housing involves a number of agencies. The Structure Plan and local plans provide a framework for the provision of new affordable housing. It is, however, for the district councils to assess local needs and public investment through the local authorities and Housing Corporation is important in the delivery of affordable housing, complementing planning powers for affordable housing. During the coming year the County Council will, with its partners, look further at the issues and potential solutions to the demand for affordable housing.
40. RPG9 suggests that almost half of the total number of houses to be built each year in the region should be affordable, that is low cost and subsidised housing that is available to people who cannot afford to buy a house on the open market.
41. Planning authorities can help in the provision of affordable housing by securing an element of affordable housing as part of new housing development. Most district councils in Oxfordshire are now seeking at least 30% affordable housing on housing sites other than those which are very small. They can also allow the development of small sites for affordable housing in villages as exceptions to normal planning policy.
42. Just over 2,100 affordable homes were built in Oxfordshire between 1996 and 2001, 18% of the total number of dwellings built in the County during the same period.
43. The Oxfordshire Structure Plan already has a policy encouraging the provision of affordable housing, but there could be ways in which the Plan could give stronger guidance, for example through the use of Countywide targets for the amount of affordable housing which should be provided, or specifying the type of dwellings to be provided to more closely target local needs.

Q. What should be the role of the Structure Plan in helping to meet the need for affordable housing?

 

 

Issue 6 - Travel in Oxfordshire

44. The ability to travel easily to work, shops, schools and other places where people need or want to go is fundamental to people’s quality of life and the maintenance of a successful and prosperous economy. Congestion and safety concerns are however problems that come with economic success. In rural areas traffic causes pollution and noise and detracts from the tranquility of the countryside. Danger and fear of traffic can be a serious concern for pedestrians and cyclists on rural roads. Higher car ownership in rural areas, the lack of alternatives to car use, and the decline of local services and facilities causes disproportionate problems for those who do not have access to a car.
45. Planning has a major role to play in integrating land use and transport. It is now widely accepted that the pattern of land uses in an area can have a significant impact on the number, type and length of journeys that people make. At the same time transport has a huge impact on the environment and motorised transport is a major source of environmentally harmful emissions. For example, emissions of nitrogen dioxide (NO₂) are linked to worsening lung related diseases such as asthma, and episodes of extremely high levels of NO₂ and other air pollutants have been linked to premature deaths. The main source of NO₂ in Oxfordshire is traffic, and although generally levels are falling in the County, certain areas will still have higher levels than others.
46. Regional planning guidance says that for the region to function successfully in the future and to create safer and more sustainable places, greater reliance will need to be placed on walking, cycling and public transport, together with a recognition of the role that new technology can play in reducing the need to travel.
47. The County Council is already committed through the Structure Plan and its Local Transport Plan to wide ranging action which will substantially improve the transport systems in the County whilst seeking to minimise the impact of travel on the environment. This will be done through a variety of programmes covering all modes of transport, and focusing first on those areas of the County which are under the most stress. As well as highway maintenance, investment will be directed towards public transport, walking and cycling, and also localised highway capacity improvements in the country towns and across the inter urban network. This approach will be supported by a number of awareness and education initiatives including TravelWise, SpeedWatch and Better Ways to School and Work.
48. The approach taken in the adopted Structure Plan is to locate development in the larger towns where a range of services and facilities are available, and more development can be served by a range of transport modes. The Structure Plan also encourages measures which enable walking, cycling and the provision of public transport.
49. Two Countywide studies were promised in the Local Transport Plan, the Premium Routes and Interchanges Study (completed in April 2001) and the Transport Networks Review (commencing 2002). The primary purpose of the premium routes study was to identify a commercially viable network of high frequency quality bus routes to operate by 2011. Some of the conclusions of the study are outlined in the examination of alternative potential development locations under issue 7. The Transport Networks Review will be a comprehensive review of transport networks across the County and is expected to develop a transport investment programme for the County transport networks.
50. There is increasing congestion arising from traffic growth particularly on Oxfordshire’s major routes and arising from development affecting major and sometimes minor roads. This reinforces the objectives of reducing the need to travel and encouraging greater use of public transport, cycling and walking. Investment in the transport networks is also needed. The network studies will find the most effective way of targeting this.
51. The impact of alternative development locations on travel, and the need to maximise opportunities to use more sustainable modes of transport is a significant issue for the review.

Q. Do you agree with the County Council’s approach to transport issues in the Structure Plan?

 

 

Issue 7 - Where Should New Development be Located?

52. The strategy in the current Structure Plan is to locate most development for new housing and employment in the "country towns" of Banbury, Bicester, Didcot and Witney, and to continue to protect the environment and character of Oxfordshire’s towns, villages and countryside. A significant amount of housing development is also to be built within Oxford whilst protecting the Green Belt around the City. The strategy encourages development to take place in locations which enable people to travel by public transport, cycling or walking, and the best use to be made of land and buildings within urban areas without permitting development on important open spaces.
53. Government advice in PPG12 is that structure plans should concentrate on providing a strategic framework within which local plans can be framed. For housing development structure plans should give the number of houses to be built in each district, and the general location of major growth areas and strategic developments which would have significant effects, for example new settlements. Structure Plans are not intended to have site specific proposals, and therefore the remainder of the section looks at broad options for locating new development in the future and not specific sites and development boundaries.
54. In reviewing the strategy, the County Council will take into account Government planning policy, which in particular stresses that the focus for new housing should be existing towns and cities, the importance of re-using previously developed land within urban areas, and building houses where people can walk, cycle and use public transport to get to jobs and day to day facilities. RPG9 also advises that urban areas should be the prime focus for new development, not only to make better use of land, but also to help sustain and improve services and infrastructure.
55. In deciding where new development for housing should take place, Government advice in PPG3 is that local authorities should use a sequence to identify appropriate locations. In Oxfordshire, the County Council thinks this should be applied as follows:

• First, re-use of previously developed land and buildings within urban areas

• Second, extensions to existing urban areas

• Finally, if no more sustainable alternative can be found, new free standing settlements or large scale additions to existing settlements in good quality public transport corridors.

56. In all cases, PPG3 discourages the inefficient use of land, and encourages higher densities of new housing development than in the past, within the range of 30-50 dwellings per hectare. Although densities within this range are being achieved in Oxfordshire, average densities of new housing developments built in 1999 were mostly between 20-30 dwellings per hectare.
57. The rest of this section describes what the implications of following this approach in Oxfordshire might be, and describes possible development options. In deciding where development should be located the County Council will take into account factors such as environmental constraints, where jobs are now and where potential employment growth might take place, and levels of accessibility to jobs and services – particularly to Oxford and other major employment locations. The final strategy could combine elements of different options.

Development within Urban Areas

58. Government policy is to make more efficient use of land by maximising the re-use of previously-developed land and by concentrating development in urban areas. National and regional targets aim to accommodate 60% of new housing development on previously developed land and through conversions of existing buildings. This helps to protect the countryside whilst helping to support services and facilities in towns. It can also help to enhance the viability of public transport services, and enable people to work and cycle to jobs, school and leisure purposes.
59. In order to assess how much development in Oxfordshire could be built within urban areas, a Countywide urban capacity study is being undertaken. The study has been carried out jointly with the district councils in Oxfordshire to a common methodology and aims to establish the capacity of the larger towns in Oxfordshire (those of 5,000 population and above) to accommodate new housing on previously developed sites within their boundaries. The preliminary results of the Oxfordshire Urban Capacity Study show that about … dwellings could be built on previously developed sites within the larger settlements. [Initial result – are being checked] In encouraging the development of these sites, safeguards would need to be in place to protect the character of towns and villages and sites important for other reasons such as open space and employment, and to manage traffic.

Q. How should the Structure Plan protect the character of towns and retain land for uses such as recreation and employment while trying to maximise the development of sites for new housing?

 

Extensions to Urban Areas

60. Government advice in PPG3 says that urban extensions are likely to be the next most sustainable option after development within urban areas. This is the form of development which has taken place in Oxfordshire on the edges of the country towns, Oxford and Abingdon over the past 20 years. Regional Planning Guidance for the South East (RPG9) states that urban areas should be the prime focus for new development. In Oxfordshire, the options are:

• continued expansion of some or all of the country towns – Banbury, Bicester, Didcot and Witney
• development on the edge of Oxford and/or Abingdon
• expansion of some of the smaller towns – Carterton, Chipping Norton, Faringdon, Henley, Thame, Wallingford and Wantage and Grove.

1. The Country Towns

61. Over the past 20 years the towns of Banbury, Bicester, Didcot and Witney have grown considerably. The country towns strategy has been largely successful in promoting housing and employment growth at these towns, giving people the opportunity to live and work in the same place, although the degree of "balance" which has been achieved varies. The country towns have also seen growth in local services and facilities which has benefited residents and people living in nearby rural areas. For example, the town centres of Banbury and Witney have had redevelopment to provide a good range of shops and other facilities, and the redevelopment of Didcot town centre to expand its facilities is planned. All the towns have seen transport investment as they have grown. Banbury and Bicester have recently approved Integrated Transport Strategies, which include a range of further road, public transport and walking/cycling facilities. Integrated Transport Strategies will follow at the other towns following the completion of studies.
62. However, there have also been problems. In some towns new development is being planned on land which has environmental constraints, such as high landscape value or good quality agricultural land. Infrastructure in some cases is inadequate to meet demand, and towns are becoming more congested by traffic. Despite "balanced" housing and employment development, many people travel to Oxford or elsewhere for jobs.

• The towns already have an expanding range of jobs, services and shops.
• The towns are all served by rail, except for Witney which has good long distance bus services.
• Support for further development of public transport services, both within the towns and long distance.
• Continued protection of the Oxford Green Belt and the countryside elsewhere in the County.
• Potential to build on existing levels of self containment.

• Potential to locate housing and job growth together.

• Supports the role of towns in acting as service providers for surrounding rural areas.
• Provides opportunity to provide significant amounts of affordable housing.

• Greenfield land would be needed for development.
• Some environmental constraints would be likely to be breached e.g. locally important landscape and high quality agricultural land.
• Areas of land at risk of flooding may restrict potential development areas.
• Growth of out commuting from these towns if housing growth not matched by local jobs.

• Increased pressure on existing infrastructure and services such as roads, schools and leisure facilities.
• May threaten the separate identity of other nearby settlements as towns grow.
• Character of the towns as market towns could change as they grow.
• Affordable housing may not be provided where it is needed.

63. Most of Oxfordshire is in many ways a classic "city region", dominated by Oxford at its heart, which is the major centre for jobs, shopping, leisure and culture. Since the 1970s the Structure Plan has sought to limit the growth of Oxford and to protect the character and landscape setting of the city. The Structure Plan has successfully contained the physical spread of Oxford, while at the same time Oxford has seen considerable housing growth within the built up area of the city. The Oxfordshire Structure Plan 2011 aims to control employment growth in Oxford because there are more jobs in Oxford than working residents, resulting in large numbers of people commuting.
64. An alternative way of seeking to reduce the city’s workforce imbalance is to build more housing at Oxford. Because Oxford has the highest level of public transport services and usage in the County the aims of encouraging more travel by public transport would be well served. Although Oxford City Council has "safeguarded" some land in the Green Belt adjoining Oxford for longer term development needs in the current Oxford Local Plan, a strategy based on urban extensions to Oxford would require additional development in the Green Belt. Since it was approved in 1975, the Green Belt has successfully protected the character and setting of historic Oxford, prevented urban sprawl, and protected the separate identity of nearby settlements. The Government continues to support green belts and considers they have an important role to play. Regional Planning Guidance for the South East advises that there is no regional case for reviewing green belt boundaries, but that the Government recognises that where settlements are tightly constrained by the green belt, local circumstances may suggest the need for a review after urban capacity studies have been undertaken and all other alternative locations for development have been considered.
65. Abingdon is the third largest town in Oxfordshire. It has experienced considerable growth since the 1970s, mainly as a result of growth planned when Abingdon was within Berkshire before 1974. It is a considerable local employment centre, with nearly 13,500 jobs in 1998. It has a historic centre, and a range of shops and leisure facilities. High frequency public transport services link Abingdon to Oxford. However, the historic streets in the town are unsuitable for current levels of traffic, leading to congestion and poor environmental conditions, particularly in the town centre. An Integrated Transport Strategy for the town has recently been approved.
66. If a development strategy based on Oxford and/or Abingdon was adopted, any land identified for development in the Green Belt would need to meet certain criteria. These could be that potential locations for development on the edge of Oxford should:

• not damage the special character and landscape setting of Oxford;

• avoid coalescence of Oxford with adjoining settlements;

• be accessible to existing or planned employment locations and the city centre by public transport, or where public transport accessibility can be improved;

• avoid important environmental constraints, including land at risk of flooding.

• Protection of the environment and character of Oxfordshire elsewhere.
• Could reduce the imbalance between the number of jobs and resident workers in Oxford.
• Could reduce travel distance for those who work or travel to services and shops in Oxford.
• Helps to meet needs for affordable housing in and close to Oxford.
• Promotes further improvement to public transport services and provision for cyclists and walkers in Oxford and Abingdon.
• Potential boost to the vitality of Abingdon town centre.
• Could locate housing in the same area as high tech employment clusters.

• Greenfield land would be needed for development.
• Growth of Oxford could damage its character and landscape setting.
• Increase in traffic and congestion at Oxford and Abingdon.
• Loss of Green Belt.
• May not meet needs for affordable housing elsewhere.
• Risk of damage to environmental constraints.

• The proximity of the A34 and the River Thames could constrain development options at Abingdon.

c) The Smaller towns

67. The expansion of the County’s larger urban areas is not without problems. Extensions to the smaller towns could be a more acceptable way of providing for some of Oxfordshire’s housing. The towns of Carterton, Chipping Norton, Faringdon, Henley, Thame, Wallingford and Wantage and Grove act as local service and employment centres. They are identified in the Oxfordshire Structure Plan 2011 as towns where a limited amount of employment development can be provided to support this role.

• Protection of character and environment of County elsewhere including landscape setting of Oxford.
• Build on and support the role of smaller towns as local centres for jobs and services.
• Possible expansion of local shops and services and support for town centres.
• Could help meet local needs for affordable housing.
• Opportunity for shorter travel distances to local jobs and services.

• Greenfield land would be needed for development.
• Increase in car travel, even if public transport exists, as towns lack the larger shopping, leisure and other facilities, and job opportunities which Oxford and the bigger towns offer.
• Increase in pressure on local roads and services.
• More difficult to improve public transport services due to a more dispersed pattern of development.
• Risk of damaging the character of towns.
• Risk of damage to environmental constraints, depending on location, eg areas of outstanding natural beauty, high quality agricultural land, and land at risk of flooding.

68. If it is found that new development required in Oxfordshire cannot be accommodated within urban areas and urban extensions, a new free standing settlement or large scale expansion of existing small towns or villages could be considered. The Government advises in PPG3 that new or expanded settlements can be considered if no more sustainable alternative can be found, a location on a good quality public transport corridor can be exploited, previously developed land can be used, and the scale of development is large enough to support local services.
69. If located close to Oxford, advantage could be taken of high frequency public transport routes, it could help meet housing needs in Oxford, and would be within a shorter travelling distance to jobs in Oxford. However, any settlement would need to become more than simply a dormitory for Oxford, as the Government advises in PPG3 that this would not be acceptable. A location further away from Oxford could also be considered with the aim of creating a more self contained settlement, with the opportunity to live, work and use other services locally, reducing dependence on the City. However, this option could encourage longer distance travel to other employment and service centres.
70. For this option, a longer term development strategy beyond 2016 would be needed in the Structure Plan, in order to plan for the scale of development required to ensure a full range of new services and infrastructure is provided.
71. In terms of the location of any potential new settlement, the Government advises in PPG3 that opportunities to locate larger housing developments around major nodes along good quality public transport corridors should be exploited. In Oxfordshire, the highest frequency public transport services are found within Oxford and on the radial approach routes to the City. The Premium Routes and Interchanges Study has identified routes which are capable of becoming a commercially viable network of high frequency services by 2011. These are corridors where a minimum of four buses per hour are expected to operate on Mondays to Saturdays between 7 am and 7 pm, with regular if less frequent evening and Sunday services. The premium routes will be a focus for improving the public transport network, and it is suggested that these routes form the basis of good quality public transport corridors in Oxfordshire:

• A40 west corridor – Carterton and Witney to Oxford
• A40/B4044 west corridor – Carterton, Witney and Eynsham to Oxford
• A44 corridor – Woodstock to Oxford
• A4260 – Kidlington to Wheatley (via Oxford)
• A41/A34 corridor – Bicester to Oxford
• A40 east corridor – Thame to Oxford (via Wheatley)
• Wallingford to Oxford
• Didcot to Oxford (via Milton Park, Abingdon and Kennington)
• Wantage to Grove to Oxford (via Abingdon and A34)

72. Some of these corridors also benefit from significant rail services, for example between Oxford and Bicester and Didcot. The development of Guided Transit Express (GTE) for Oxfordshire could reinforce some of the corridors between Oxford city centre and existing Park and Ride services and services between Oxford and the towns mentioned. Construction could start in 2005/6.
73. As well as being able to take advantage of high frequency public transport, potential locations for a new or expanded settlement would need to avoid strategic environmental constraints and land at risk of flooding, and be capable of providing a range of infrastructure and services needed. While any site should be capable of becoming well connected to other major centres of employment and other services, it should not undermine the vitality and viability of other town centres or promote long distance commuting outside the County.
74. It was suggested when the Structure Plan was last reviewed that a new settlement of 5,000 houses could be built at the former air base at Upper Heyford. This was opposed by the County Council due to the relatively isolated rural location of the site, its unsustainable location in terms of reducing the need to travel by car, and its relationship to the existing settlement pattern in north Oxfordshire, in particular its relative nearness to Bicester where further growth is currently planned. This view was endorsed by the independent panel who conducted an Examination in Public of the adopted Structure Plan. The Plan proposes a much smaller development of 1,000 houses, a range of appropriate services and jobs, with landscaping and environmental improvements to the remainder of the site.

• Could use unconstrained or brownfield land depending on location.
• A large settlement might become reasonably self contained, with homes, jobs and services.
• Potential to plan comprehensively for infrastructure provision at the same time as housing developed.
• Could help protect the character of the rest of the County in the long term.
• Potential to take advantage of existing or planned public transport services and to help improve them.
• Opportunity for innovative approaches to design of development.

• Greenfield land would be needed for development depending on location.
• Impact on countryside and local character.
• Possible development in Green Belt if close to Oxford.
• Increase in traffic on major and minor roads in local area.
• Long term strategy would not be developed quickly – development in other areas would still be needed in short term.
• Risk of long distance travel as range of jobs and services unlikely to be available for many years.
• High level of investment needed in infrastructure, services and facilities.
• Would concentrate provision of affordable housing on one location, although the need for it is throughout the County.
• Risk of becoming a dormitory town if close to Oxford.

75. Structure plans normally cover a 10-15 year period. The adopted Oxfordshire Structure Plan covers the period from 1996-2011. As Regional Planning Guidance for the South East covers the period up to 2016, this would be an appropriate end date for the review of the Structure Plan.
76. However, larger housing developments, such as on the edges of country towns, can take many years to plan before houses are actually built. Rolling plans forward five years at a time also results in incremental growth of towns which can make it difficult to plan and realise improvements to services and infrastructure. The Structure Plan could cover a longer period, perhaps giving housing figures up to 2016, whilst identifying longer term development locations. This approach would give local planning authorities, infrastructure providers, the public in general and developers more certainty in planning for the future, and the ability to take longer term investment decisions on the provision of facilities like schools, health care and transport. The Plan could perhaps look even further ahead and set out a longer term vision, for example up to 2050, of what Oxfordshire should be like in the future.

1. Do you think the Structure Plan should cover a longer time period than to the year 2016?

Other Issues

77. This document has tried to concentrate on the key issues which the County Council considers are important for the review of the Oxfordshire Structure Plan, but there may be other issues which should be considered.

1. Are there any other issues which you think should be taken into account?

1. This consultation is the first stage of a statutory process for reviewing the Structure Plan which is set out in Government regulations. [Add more on other consultation methods to be used when details finalised] The County Council will carefully consider your comments and the results of technical work which is being carried out before deciding what changes need to be made to the current Structure Plan.
2. The proposed strategy for future development in the County and any new or revised policies will be placed "on deposit" for six weeks towards the end of 2002. This means that you will have the opportunity to inspect the proposals in public buildings such as libraries, and make comments on them. The County Council will advertise this opportunity in the local press.
3. Depending on the nature of any objections and representations received, it is likely that the County Council will hold an Examination in Public of the proposals some time in 2003. [Include box with a summary of the review timetable]
4. If you would like to know more about the process described above, the Government has published a free guide, "Structure Plans, a Guide to Procedures". Please telephone 01865 815645 if you would like a copy.
5. If you have any queries please contact the Structure Plan Team: