Issue - meetings

Cabinet Member: Highways Management

Forward Plan Ref: 2021/018

Contact:Jason Sherwood, South Growth Manager Tel: 07795 684708/Cathy Champion, Infrastructure Locality Lead Tel: 07920 084256/Michael Deadman Transport Development Control Lead Officer Tel: 07767 608992

Report by Assistant Director Growth & Place (CA13).

Prior to Didcot Garden Town Housing Infrastructure (HIF 1) funding being secured in June 2020, it was established that the local and strategic highway network that serves Didcot and the surrounding area has severe congestion and capacity issues during the morning and evening commuter periods. 

To manage the highway network a strategy was devised in 2018 between officers of the district councils and Oxfordshire County Council (OCC) to control development within areas (including Didcot) that have the most severe capacity issues in the absence of strategic highway infrastructure to support new growth in the Vale of White Horse and South Oxfordshire districts (as identified in LTP4 and district Local Plans).   This strategy involved OCC in the role as Local Highway Authority objecting to new developments that will generate a new vehicular trip in the morning and evening commuter peak times.

While this approach enabled both district councils and OCC to manage the impact of new development on the highway network and support the HIF 1 bid, it has placed OCC’s position under immense scrutiny and officers are aware of frustration from developers who have been unable to progress their allocated development sites since HIF 1 funding was secured. Such frustrations have led to some development sites appealing their planning applications

To assist with the delivery of much needed housing in the Vale of White Horse and South Oxfordshire districts, officers have identified the need for a development strategy to be implemented by OCC.  Allowing for some controlled development to come forward prior to HIF 1 infrastructure being available for public use. 

This development strategy seeks to avoid speculative development, potential appeal costs against the council and deliver some much-needed housing in the Vale of White Horse and South Oxfordshire districts.  It assumes that housing build programmes / trajectories can align with the delivery programme of HIF 1 and applicants demonstrate that there will be no severe harm to the operation of the highway network. It also allows for the controlled release of employment following a similar approach.

The Cabinet is RECOMMENDED to implement a strategy to assist with the delivery of new development in the Vale of White Horse and South Oxfordshire districts to allow some growth to come forward in a controlled manner prior to HIF 1 funded infrastructure being open for public use based upon the following requirements:

·            Development site housing build programmes / trajectories / occupations being aligned with (or after) the delivery of HIF 1 which will require occupation thresholds / controls on development sites.

·            Development sites to provide agreed sustainable / active travel infrastructure at the beginning (early occupations) of development sites to reduce traffic impact on the highway network prior to HIF 1 delivery.

·            New services or enhancements to existing bus  ...  view the full agenda text for item 57

Recommendations agreed

Councillor Sally Povolotsky withdrew her request to speak.

Cabinet had before it recommendations to implement a strategy to assist with the delivery of new development in the Vale of White Horse and South Oxfordshire districts to allow some growth to come forward in a controlled manner prior to HIF 1 funded infrastructure being open for public use based upon specified requirements.

Councillor Duncan Enright, Cabinet Member for Travel and Development Strategy, introduced the first of three items relating to the Housing Infrastructure Fund to provide for the new housing needed over the coming decade.  This proposal dealt with the Didcot Garden Town area.

The Council had opposed further housing in this area on the basis that there was insufficient transport infrastructure.  Blanket refusal would risk appeals and uncontrolled development whereas in this proposal, for some of the development, the Council’s approval can be timed so that they are built when the infrastructure has been delivered.

Councillor Tim Bearder welcomed the proposal and noted that officers were working on ensuring that the plans in this area will incorporate promotion of active travel.

Councillor Pete Sudbury noted that carbon emissions needed to be reduced by 50% by 2030 according to the United Nations.  The houses in these developments were not yet built to the best standards and would need to be retrofitted.  He was committed to working with the building industry to ensure that emissions were counted properly and ultimately reduced.

RESOLVED: to implement a strategy to assist with the delivery of new development in the Vale of White Horse and South Oxfordshire districts to allow some growth to come forward in a controlled manner prior to HIF 1 funded infrastructure being open for public use based upon the following requirements:

·                    Development site housing build programmes / trajectories / occupations being aligned with (or after) the delivery of HIF 1 which will require occupation thresholds / controls on development sites.

·                    Development sites to provide agreed sustainable / active travel infrastructure at the beginning (early occupations) of development sites to reduce traffic impact on the highway network prior to HIF 1 delivery.

·                    New services or enhancements to existing bus service arrangements being implemented at the beginning (early occupations) of development sites.

·                    Local off-site and on-site highway works to be delivered at the early stages of development to lessen the direct impact of a development site on the highway network.

·                    Travel Plans prepared and approved by the council’s Travel Plan team with deliverable and monitored targets.

·                    Strategic transport / highway contributions will be sought in accordance with Regulation 122 and the three Section 106 tests.