A Better Vision for Oxfordshire?

CPRE (Campaign to Protect Rural England) Oxfordshire has published what it is calling, ‘an alternative approach to planning the future of Oxfordshire’, an approach it believes is vital to protect our county’s rural character.

Summer 2019 is expected to see two major consultations on plans for huge growth across Oxfordshire. These will be on a Government ‘Vision’ for the future of the Oxford Cambridge Arc, and the Oxfordshire Plan 2050 proposals setting out the level and location of growth in the county. 

CPRE Oxfordshire is warning that, alongside the widely recognised climate change and biodiversity emergencies, ‘business as usual is just not an option’, stating that: “Growth on anything like the scale proposed would be incompatible with preserving the rural nature of Oxfordshire. Future development needs to balance economic growth with protecting the county’s communities, character and countryside.”

Helen Marshall, Director of CPRE Oxfordshire explained: “A Better Vision for Oxfordshire sets out our views on how an appropriate level of development could be brought forward in a sensitive and well-planned way that would both protect and enhance the landscape of Oxfordshire, and its towns and villages for the benefit of everyone. We hope to inspire current Oxfordshire residents to help ensure that anyone living in Oxfordshire in 2050 can still experience the advantages of our rural county.”

CPRE Oxfordshire’s guiding principles, and means of realising its Vision, are that:
• The amount of development, and its timescale, should be based on natural growth and migration
• Brownfield land should be developed first. Green Belt and Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONBs) should be developed as a last resort under proven
  exceptional circumstances
• Genuinely affordable housing should be made available, in perpetuity, to address local need
• High densities of development should become standard, to avoid losing more land than necessary
• Any new communities must be sustainable and existing rural communities need investment to support services and infrastructure
• Job creation should reflect Oxfordshire’s existing skill base while addressing areas of need to reduce unsustainable commuting

To read ‘A Better Vision for Oxfordshire. visit the CPRE Oxfordshire website: HERE  
The accompanying film can be watched HERE