Cherwell Local Plan Review 2040 and potential development sites
Cherwell District Council (CDC) is in the process of reviewing the current Local Plan 2011-2031 with a view to replacing it with an updated Local Plan. The Council is currently consulting on the policy options for the new plan. The deadline for comments is 10th November.
The CDC consultation paper does not indicate any district or parish housing targets since these will be a function of the targets to be set under the higher level Oxfordshire Plan 2050 (OP2050). As discussed in the September Deddington News (page 8), OP2050 is currently considering three housing growth scenarios, all higher than under current local plans and one 'transformational'.
In response to a Call for Sites by CDC, the following 13 potential development sites have been put forward:
Deddington (8)
009 Land east of Oxford Road, S. of Deddington, 4.4 acres
016 The Poplars, Clifton Road, Deddington, 6.2 acres
054 Home Farm Works, Clifton Road, Deddington, 5.5 acres
054 Land opposite, south of Clifton Road, Deddington, 9.6 acres
056 Land W. of Banbury Road, N. of Deddington Grange, 39 acres
074 Land E. of Banbury Road, and N. of Fire Station, 12 acres
148 Land north of Wimborn Close, Deddington, 4.7 acres
148 Grove Fields, Deddington, 20.75 acres
Hempton (3)
065 Land south of Hempton Road, Hempton, 10.8 acres
148 Radwell Hill, Duns Tew Road, Hempton, 5.5 acres
148 Land south of The Lane, Hempton, 1.2 acres
Clifton (2)
104 Land at Manor Barn, Chapel Close, Clifton, 5 acres
148 Home Farm, Clifton, 4.7 acres
Please note that in the CDC Deddington parish profile, the list of sites submitted and the corresponding plan are defective as they omit to show 4 of the 13 sites.
The Neighbourhood Plan team has also made a Call for Sites. There are 3 sites which were not also submitted to CDC:
Chapman's Lane/St Thomas Street, Deddington, 2.5 acres
Chapman's Lane, Deddington, 2.5 acres
Behind Duke of Cumberland's Head, Clifton, 2.8 acres
Sites with a gross area totalling 137 acres have therefore been put forward. This would accommodate up to 1,660 dwellings at CDC's target housing density of 30 dwellings per hectare (12 dwellings per acre), although net developable areas will be less and lower densities have been accepted in Deddington. CDC has not assessed any of the sites put forward at this stage.
A composite plan of the sites submitted under the two Calls for Sites is below:
Sites submitted to CDC (orange) and to the Neighbourhood Plan (red)
By signing up to the Oxfordshire 'Housing and Growth Deal' with the Government, the district council has signalled that it is pro development.
Previous Cherwell Local Plans have focused housing development on Banbury and Bicester, and to a lesser extent Kidlington, with a more restrained approach towards the rural areas. There is no assurance that the latter policy will be maintained.
The CDC consultation paper contains 34 Options and 29 Questions, covering a wide range of topics from affordable housing to infrastructure. The following are of particular concern from a Deddington perspective.
(1) Option 30 (Housing in the rural areas) asks whether (i) development should be limited to meeting local needs or (ii) more development should be directed to rural areas to meet wider district needs.
Imposing wider district needs on the rural areas, rather than meeting truly local needs, would be the ruination of some villages. Instead of delivering sustainable development, villages would be placed at risk of over-development, harm to local character and landscape, pressure on infrastructure, and more road congestion and pollution from additional commuting.
(2) Option 31 (Meeting rural housing development needs) asks whether (i) CDC should work with local communities to allocate specific sites to meet identified housing needs, or (ii) provide a parish level figure and allow sites to be allocated through Neighbourhood Plans or (iii) a combination of both.
It is Government policy to encourage (ii), since it makes sense to take advantage of local knowledge. In a Deddington context, the Neighbourhood Plan team is currently looking into local housing needs and suitable potential sites.
(3) Under Section 6.6.10, the question is posed whether CDC should define settlement boundaries, beyond which development would not normally be permitted?
This would help to ensure that development takes place in the most sustainable locations in terms of accessibility and infrastructure. Defined settlement boundaries provide greater certainty, and many other local authorities have adopted such a policy.
(4) Option 32 (Developing a Rural Settlement Hierarchy) asks whether (i) certain services and facilities should be given additional weight and (ii) accessibility of urban centres by public transport, walking and cycling should be given additional weight.
Weighting formulae per option (i) risk being arbitrary. The parish has poor transport sustainability credentials in terms of distance from urban centres, and hence contribution to congestion and pollution. There may be a bus service (not serving Hempton or Clifton), but for a variety of reasons it is little used.
Copies of the 'options' consultation paper and background documents may be downloaded at:
https://www.cherwell.gov.uk/planningpolicyconsultation
Details of sites submitted in response to CDC's Call for Sites (see Representations LPR-A-001 to LPR-A-150) may be found under:
https://www.cherwell.gov.uk/info/33/planning-policy/851/local-plan-review---representations-to-the-issues-paper-consultation
If you wish to comment on this consultation, please make your views known to CDC by:
- completing the online Feedback Form (registration required) at https://letstalk.cherwell.gov.uk/cherwell-local-plan-review ; or
- emailing planningpolicyconsultation@cherwell-dc.gov.uk
The deadline is Wednesday 10th November.
Previous Cherwell Local Plans have focused housing development on Banbury and Bicester, and to a lesser extent Kidlington, with a more restrained approach towards the rural areas. There is no assurance that the latter policy will be maintained.
The CDC consultation paper contains 34 Options and 29 Questions, covering a wide range of topics from affordable housing to infrastructure. The following are of particular concern from a Deddington perspective.
(1) Option 30 (Housing in the rural areas) asks whether (i) development should be limited to meeting local needs or (ii) more development should be directed to rural areas to meet wider district needs.
Imposing wider district needs on the rural areas, rather than meeting truly local needs, would be the ruination of some villages. Instead of delivering sustainable development, villages would be placed at risk of over-development, harm to local character and landscape, pressure on infrastructure, and more road congestion and pollution from additional commuting.
(2) Option 31 (Meeting rural housing development needs) asks whether (i) CDC should work with local communities to allocate specific sites to meet identified housing needs, or (ii) provide a parish level figure and allow sites to be allocated through Neighbourhood Plans or (iii) a combination of both.
It is Government policy to encourage (ii), since it makes sense to take advantage of local knowledge. In a Deddington context, the Neighbourhood Plan team is currently looking into local housing needs and suitable potential sites.
(3) Under Section 6.6.10, the question is posed whether CDC should define settlement boundaries, beyond which development would not normally be permitted?
This would help to ensure that development takes place in the most sustainable locations in terms of accessibility and infrastructure. Defined settlement boundaries provide greater certainty, and many other local authorities have adopted such a policy.
(4) Option 32 (Developing a Rural Settlement Hierarchy) asks whether (i) certain services and facilities should be given additional weight and (ii) accessibility of urban centres by public transport, walking and cycling should be given additional weight.
Weighting formulae per option (i) risk being arbitrary. The parish has poor transport sustainability credentials in terms of distance from urban centres, and hence contribution to congestion and pollution. There may be a bus service (not serving Hempton or Clifton), but for a variety of reasons it is little used.
Copies of the 'options' consultation paper and background documents may be downloaded at:
https://www.cherwell.gov.uk/planningpolicyconsultation
Details of sites submitted in response to CDC's Call for Sites (see Representations LPR-A-001 to LPR-A-150) may be found under:
https://www.cherwell.gov.uk/info/33/planning-policy/851/local-plan-review---representations-to-the-issues-paper-consultation
If you wish to comment on this consultation, please make your views known to CDC by:
- completing the online Feedback Form (registration required) at https://letstalk.cherwell.gov.uk/cherwell-local-plan-review ; or
- emailing planningpolicyconsultation@cherwell-dc.gov.uk
The deadline is Wednesday 10th November.
 A grant of £927 has been awarded to the Deddington Neighbourhood Plan by the Supporting Communities in Neighbourhood Planning Programme led by Locality in association with RTPI/Planning Aid England, CDF and partners, available through the My Community Rights website.
|
Privacy Policy
|
THANK YOU FOR VISITING
Website last updated 30th October 2021
