Path ahead for Local Plan to 2033

SOUTH Oxfordshire District Council’s Cabinet has agreed a timetable for progressing its Local Plan which will be submitted for public examination in March 2019.

The Local Plan will identify where housing, retail and employment land should go as well as the infrastructure required to support this growth, such as new roads, schools, health services and sewerage. The proposed policies in the plan will be used to help make decisions on planning applications in the district.

The council intends to reassess each of the main housing sites currently proposed in the Plan, along with previously-considered locations that were dismissed but were ‘reasonable alternatives’ and some additional sites (None of these sites are in Thame, though there is provision for additional housing on ‘infill’ and ‘redevelopment’ sites see below).

‘The Strategy for Thame’

Quote: “We will support development proposals which:

Are in accordance with the Thame Neighbourhood DevelopmentPlan (currently being reviewed and amended)
Maintain the quality of placeiii)

Strengthen commerce in the town centre and identify sites suitable for future retail, leisure and community uses

Support housing and employment uses above shops

Improve the attraction of Thame for visitors and businesses

Improve accessibility, car parking, pedestrian and cycle links

Support schemes which enhance the quality of the town’senvironment

Support schemes which improve the stock of existing commercial buildings and the environment of the employment areas

Allow housing on suitable infill and redevelopment sites

Support the schools, health and other service providers meet theiraccommodation needs, in particular the amalgamation of thesecondary school onto a single site

Provide for an appropriate housing mix which responds to the needs of the housing market

The timetable states that councillors will make a decision in December on which of the 15 available major housing sites will be included in the plan, following completion of the necessary assessment and filtering work.

The final plan, outlining how the district should develop until 2033, will then be published and residents will have a chance to comment on its technical ‘soundness’ early next year. It will then be submitted for public examination by an independent planning inspector later in 2019.

READ THE REST OF SODC’s statement here:

http://www.southoxon.gov.uk/news/2018/2018-08/timetable-set-south-oxfordshire%E2%80%99s-local-plan