Meeting documents

Cabinet
Tuesday, 16 January 2007

CA160107-12

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ITEM CA12

CABINET – 16 JANUARY 2007

SOUTH EAST PLAN; DIDCOT HOUSING SPLIT

Report by Head of Sustainable Development

Introduction
  1. The South East Plan (Draft for submission to Government) was published in March 2006. For the period 2006 – 2026 it provides for 10,200 dwellings in South Oxfordshire District and 11,500 in the Vale of White Horse. This gives a net additional requirement for Didcot of about 3,000 dwellings for the period 2016 – 2026. Currently the South East Plan Policies H1 (Housing provision) and CO2 (Scale and distribution of housing) split these dwellings evenly between the Vale and South Oxfordshire, pending completion of detailed work regarding the appropriate distribution for each district. This further technical work is now complete and a joint study has been produced (Didcot Area Housing – Meeting the Regional Requirement, December 2006) which is attached as Annex 1 (download as .doc file).

    (Map 1 - download as .pdf file)
    (Map 2 - download as .pdf file)
    (Map 3 - download as .pdf file)
    (Map 4 - download as .pdf file)
    (Map 5 - download as .pdf file)

  2. The purpose of this report is to advise on the outcome of South Oxfordshire and the Vale Districts’ consideration of the joint technical work and their preferred housing distribution, and to consider whether this preferred split should be supported by this Council as the principal authority. The distribution figures will then be submitted to the South East Plan Examination in Public (EiP) by 22 January 2007.

    3. Proposed Distribution

  3. The technical study considers nine possible general locations for housing development around Didcot. The study considers the development constraints (including transport and accessibility, flood risk assessment, landscape appraisal, biodiversity, agricultural land quality, minerals and waste, archaeology and conservation, pollution and noise, water and sewerage, electricity, gas and telecommunications, education and other infrastructure, coalescence of settlements and deliverability); the results of the public consultation exercise, and the sustainability appraisal. The study also incorporates the key elements of a transport study undertaken by Halcrow (the Council’s term transport consultants) and has been informed by a landscape appraisal undertaken by Machin Bate Associates. The report provides an overall assessment of the general locations for development in paragraphs 5.24 – 5.34.

  4. South Oxfordshire District Council’s Cabinet considered the housing distribution on 20 December 2006 and the Vale of White Horse District Council’s Executive on 5 January 2007. Copies of both covering reports are attached at Annex 2 (download as .doc file) and Annex 3 (download as .doc file) respectively. Of the provision for 3000 dwellings at Didcot both councils have agreed to support the provision of 1500 dwellings in their respective district. South Oxfordshire District Council resolved to request the County Council to strongly advise the EIP Panel that there is unequivocal evidence from the transport studies that unless there is sufficient investment in the road infrastructure in and around Didcot none of this additional housing is possible. Vale of White Horse District Council support is conditioned by the need to guarantee provision of a new western link road from the A4130 to the A417.

  5. It is not this Council’s role to identify locations where development might go; merely to advise the EiP Panel on an appropriate housing distribution. If this Council agrees that the 3,000 dwellings should be evenly distributed, 1,500 to each district, it will be a matter for the districts to determine which sites should be allocated through the preparation of their Local Development Documents (LDD).

  6. The joint technical study indicates that this distribution would be feasible in planning terms without encroaching on the Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) and areas liable to flooding, or building on significant areas of the best and most versatile agricultural land. In respect of flooding issues it should be noted that confirmation is awaited from the Environment Agency regarding the outcome of the strategic flood risk assessment work in relation to areas 5 and 7 which can be reported to the Panel in due course. This distribution would also enable the identity of nearby villages to be maintained and for matters such as accessibility to employment sites and other services and facilities, to be taken into account through the preparation of local development documents. This process will also have regard to particular landscape issues, archaeology, pollution, noise and the deliverability of sites, as well as consider how development can be best integrated with existing and allocated housing sites around the town.

  7. Both district councils highlight concerns about the need to provide road infrastructure. The joint study makes it clear that provision of adequate infrastructure will be key to delivering this housing growth at Didcot including, in particular, highway improvements and new highway infrastructure. However, there will also need to be a range of other transport measures, including funding for the management of transport demand.

  8. In conclusion, there is no significant planning justification to object to a housing distribution of 1,500 dwellings in the Vale and 1,500 in South Oxfordshire and it is therefore considered that this split should be supported.

  9. South Oxfordshire has also successfully bid for New Growth Points status for Didcot. This is a Government initiative designed to support local communities who wish to pursue large scale, sustainable growth through a partnership with Government. It is hoped that the bid will generate significant Government funding. It potentially brings with it a further 1,500 dwellings to 2016, in addition to the 3,000 discussed above. It is not the purpose of this report to address the distribution of these additional dwellings. This issue will be debated at the EiP and the Panel will decide whether the growth point housing is acceptable in principle.

    10. Corporate Policies and Priorities

  10. The proposed housing distribution seeks to balance the location of homes near to growing job opportunities at Milton Park and Harwell campus, and close to the services and facilities needed by a growing population, whilst protecting the rural environment, maintaining its character, and safeguarding our communities.

    11. Financial and Staff Implications

  11. There are no financial or staffing implications arising from this report, although staff resources within SDS needed to meet the South East Plan EiP are fully stretched.

    12. Sustainability Implications

  12. The sustainability implications are covered in Annex 1 (download as .doc file).

    13. RECOMMENDATION

  13. The Cabinet is RECOMMENDED to:

          1. advise the Panel considering the Draft South East Plan that as a result of further detailed work on Didcot, which is set out in the accompanying reports, the housing distribution in policies H1 and CO2 for South Oxfordshire and the Vale of White Horse is supported; and

          2. strongly emphasise to the Panel that the provision of adequate infrastructure will be key to delivering this housing growth at Didcot, including sufficient investment in transport infrastructure and funding for the management of transport demand.

CHRIS COUSINS
Head of Sustainable Development

Background papers:

  • South East Plan Examination in Public-Didcot - Preliminary Assessment of Housing Options (Final Intermin Report - Work in progress) Dec 2006; Halcrow
  • South East Plan Examination in Public-Didcot - Preliminary Assessment of Housing Options Final Report, Dec 2006; Halcrow
  • Didcot Area Housing Study - Landscape Considerations, December 2006; Machin Bate Associates

Contact Officer: Tracey Dow, Planning Projects Manager, Tel: (01865) 810455

January 2007

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