Issue - meetings

Council received the following Petion and Public Address:

A Petition from Mrs Beverley Darlison, on behalf of the Milton Heights Action Group requesting that the Council take all necessary steps to preserve and maintain the care and support of those at Hft Milton Heights who are threatened with the impending closure of the site.

Public Address – Agenda Item 9

Leader of South Oxfordshire District Council;

Professor Richard Harding, CPRE;

Ms Alice Bragg, A Better South Oxfordshire;

Mr Mark Stevenson, The Clays Organic Market Garden;

Ms Mandy Rigault;

Ms Ian Ashley;

Dr Sue Roberts;

Mr Robin Bennett, Chair of the Green Group SODC;

Mr Peter Emery;

Mr Ian Middleton;

Dr Peter Kirby;

SODC Councillor Leigh Rawlins;

Ms Claire Bird.

Council received the following Petition and Public Address:

A Petition from Mrs Beverley Darlison, on behalf of the Milton Heights Action Group requesting that the Council take all necessary steps to preserve and maintain the care and support of those at Hft Milton Heights who were threatened with the impending closure of the site.

Public Addresses – Agenda Item 9

The Leader of South Oxfordshire District Council, Sue Cooper urged the Council to reject the officer recommendations on the basis that the Secretary of State removing of a statutory power from one local authority to another would have a very serious impact on local Democracy and working relationships. Within local government.  There was no formal public decision of SODC to withdraw the emerging local plan; the directive from the SoS had delayed any further work on the plan and the housing infrastructure funding on much needed roads in Didcot.  SODC agreed with the SoS that the Local Plan was unsatisfactory, so she was therefore bemused that the SoS had said that the local plan should proceed, it was inconsistent.  SODC residents had voted against the plan in the elections in May.  She further outlined concerns regarding the financial implications of the Council taking over the Local Plan in that Oxfordshire would get the money, but that it would come from SODC and they had no idea how much it would be.  She reminded Council that they were all part of the Housing & Growth Deal and that they needed to work together in the interests of the residents of Oxfordshire and that SODC intended to recognise that and go along with the numbers in the deal.

Professor Richard Harding spoke against the recommendations on behalf of CPRE, who contended the plan on the basis that it was floored.  They believed the allocation of housing was far higher than was needed by any scientific or rational method, but crucially that the draft plan had no recognition of the climate emergency facing the country; no targets for emission reductions; it had no plans to protect and enhance the natural environment.  The proposed housing around oxford would severely damage the greenbelt.  The plan was for a car-based society completely unsuited to the 21^st century and would do immeasurable damage to the local environment and social fabric of South Oxfordshire.  The last district election result of the ruling party being overturned was as a direct result of people objecting to the overdevelopment of SODC set out in the plan.  SODC had a valid plan to 2027.

He believed the SOS Holding Direction which meant that SODC could not even debate their local pla, let alone withdraw or start a new plan was a complete denial of freedom of speech and local democracy.

Ms Alice Bragg, speaking on behalf of A Better South Oxfordshire against the recommendations to take over control of SODC local plan which would affect thousands of residents in SODC.  The take over would not be because the Council had been deemed  ...  view the full minutes text for item 6