Agenda item

Cabinet Member: Travel & Development Strategy

Forward Plan Ref: 2020/048

Contact: Dawn Pettis, Strategic Planning Team Leader Tel: 07771 983395

Report by Corporate Director Environment & Place (CA10).

*** The draft Plan (Annex 1) is included in this agenda pack.  The other documents it references are published separately as Supplementary Documents due to their size and number. ***

The draft Oxfordshire Plan 2050 Reg 18 (Stage 2) consultation document is being considered for endorsement by all local planning authorities in Oxfordshire (Cherwell District Council, Oxford City Council, South Oxfordshire District Council, Vale of the White Horse District Council and West Oxfordshire District Council) in July. Once the draft Plan is endorsed, it will go out for public consultation on 30th July for 10 weeks to 8 October.

The Cabinet is RECOMMENDED to

a)            Consider and agree the process for the Oxfordshire Plan Regulation 18 (Part 2) document for public consultation commencing on 30 July;

b)           Further consider the Plan at its meeting on 21 September after an all member seminar, with a view to making formal representations on the Oxfordshire Plan Regulation 18 (Part 2) by the closing date of 8 October 2021.

Cabinet had been asked to agree the process for public consultation on the Oxfordshire Plan and further consider the Council’s formal response at the September Cabinet meeting.

The following speaker had been agreed with the Chair:

Professor Richard Harding, Chair, CPRE - The Countryside Charity welcomed the commitment in the draft to carbon reduction and environmental protection.  However, they were concerned that the consultation document was not fit for purpose because

·         it did not make clear the tough decisions needed

·         it will let the Oxford-Cambridge Arc proposal dominate

·         it will undermine the role of local councillors.

The draft plan presented a wide range of policies which were to be imposed on all the local councils because otherwise different approaches might be taken and this could result in less certainty and clarity for developers.

Professor Harding maintained that the public deserved a revised consultation document that sets out the preferred growth and spatial options and provides adequate information to allow the impacts, risks and benefits to be compared.

Councillor Duncan Enright introduced the report.  The plan involved a new partnership enabling the County, City and Districts to speak with one voice.  It would actually reinstate local democratic control.  The main themes chosen from public consultation were climate change, environmental quality, strong communities, travel, jobs and homes.  Five spatial options were listed for feedback.  It was expected that the next stage will draw from all five options.

Councillor Enright stated that the plan took into account the local plans already adopted up to the 2030s.  Oxfordshire had been one of the most enthusiastic supporters of the Arc and in fact the leaders of the Arc were thinking of taking a similar planning approach to Oxfordshire’s in other areas.  The document was not intended to be proscriptive so this would be a genuine consultation.

Other Members of Cabinet made the following observations:

·         Everyone should get involved in the consultation especially anyone who had concerns about the level of growth planned in Oxfordshire.

·         The Plan set out what good growth looked like.  However, current policies were going in the opposite direction – particularly in regard to carbon reduction.  It will be very difficult to set out a plan to 2050 that will meet the challenges in this paper.

·         Green spaces had provided a lifeline for people during the pandemic lockdown.  The Cabinet Member for Public Health will be looking closely at the proposals for healthy place shaping.

·         The Plan involved a lot of weighty documents.  An executive summary would be appreciated.  Members need to engage with their communities and parish councils to ensure that we get their views on the questions asked and not rely just on the website for feedback.

·         Standards need to be prescriptive in the final document and not advisory, to ensure that they are effective.  Carbon offsetting should not be accepted.  Buildings need to be efficient in themselves and reducing the financial drag of energy costs would be a big help to the poorest families.

·         Some of the poorest areas did not have parish councils.  We need to ensure that their voices are heard.

·         There were interesting proposals around market towns but their main problem was poor road infrastructure.  Getting old railway lines reopened and freight moved off the roads would be of huge benefit to market towns.

Councillor Sudbury seconded the Recommendations.  Councillor Enright reminded Members that Cabinet itself would be submitting a response for the consultation and that would be discussed at the September meeting.

RESOLVED to

a)            Consider and agree the process for the Oxfordshire Plan Regulation 18 (Part 2) document for public consultation commencing on 30 July;

b)           Further consider the Plan at its meeting on 21 September after an all member seminar, with a view to making formal representations on the Oxfordshire Plan Regulation 18 (Part 2) by the closing date of 8 October 2021.