14/03/11…Council prepares to submit controversial Core Strategy

SOUTH Oxfordshire District Council is preparing to submit its draft Core Strategy to the secretary of state this week. The document, which follows several acrimonious public and planning meetings, sets out how the council will help deliver new housing, opportunities for jobs in town centres across the district.

After submission, the secretary of state will appoint an independent planning inspector to scrutinise the strategy. The inspector will hold a series of hearings during the summer to examine evidence from supporters, objectors and the council. The inspector will then produce a report, expected before the end of the year. If the final decision is that the strategy is sound, then the council can go on to adopt it in early 2012.

Angie Paterson, Cabinet member for planning, said: ?A significant amount of hard work has gone into getting the Core Strategy to this important stage. This is a crucial time for us – with our Local Plan coming to an end this year, we need a clear vision to help us to continue to attract funding and investment. We also need to ensure we are in control of what development happens where – development led by our vision and not by speculative planning applications.?

The plan sets out some development in Thame, Henley, and Wallingford aimed, says SODC, at helping to “revitalise and reinforce their roles as market towns.”

The Core Strategy makes the following recommendations:

Thame: a site to the north west of the town (site F, the old pig farm on the Oxford Road, opposite Lord Williams’s school) as the site for around 530 new homes.

Wallingford: a site to the west of the town, known as Slade End Farm (Site B) as the site for 400 new homes over the next 15 years.

Henley: 400 new homes over the next 15 years. The precise locations of these homes will be decided in a later stage.

Didcot: a site to the north east of the town for 2030 new homes over the next 15 years and approximately 300 new homes in the town centre, making a total of 2330 for the town.

The strategy also states that: “In the larger villages, some development would be allowed to help limit decline and make them strong enough to sustain day-to-day services. The strategy also contains details of the necessary infrastructure needed to support all housing development that takes place.”

NB To read all back stories on the Core Strategy, enter the words Core Strategy in the Search box, top right, beneath the Racquets’ ad.