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Decision details

National Planning Policy Framework: Proposed reforms and other changes to the planning system

Decision Maker: Executive

Decision status: Recommendations Approved

Is Key decision?: No

Is subject to call in?: No

Decisions:

Councillor Hugo Ashton, Executive Member for Planning, introduced the item, the purpose of which was to consider the Council’s response to the Government’s consultation on proposed changes to the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) and other aspects of the planning system.

 

In his presentation Councillor Ashton made the following points:

 

  • The report had provided an overview of the consultation, highlighted the most significant proposals and changes and proposed the Council’s response.
  • The scale of the changes had taken many by surprise and was a comprehensive restructure and centralisation of policy formulation
  •  The District Council could have chosen not to respond to the consultation, however as a proactive Council it was felt necessary to try and influence the policies.
  • The report and Annex A had been discussed at the recent Overview and Scrutiny Committee meeting, and the Committee’s proposed responses and changes had been published on the Council’s website and been very useful in the draft response.
  • The consultation had been intended to conclude on 10 March 2026; however, the Council was able to put the response in on 13 March 2026 to take into account the comments at the Executive meeting.
  • Councillor Ashton went on to summarise the key changes highlighted in the report, and the Councils position on the proposals in terms of those changes. Councillor Ashton focussed on the following areas: Plan-making; decision making policies; pre-application engagement; the ability to set local standards, such as was the case with the Salt Cross development; the use of settlement boundaries; reduced local control over large scale energy and infrastructure; the use of “permission in principle” on medium scale developments. Full detail was included in Annex A of the report.

 

Councillor Ashton proposed the recommendations in the report, with the additional second recommendation that had not been included in the published report as follows:

 

“Delegate authority to the Head of Planning in consultation with the Executive Member for Planning to finalise the consultation response and make amendments to address comments from the Overview and Scrutiny Committee and the Executive.”

 

Councillor Andrew Prosser, Executive Member for Climate Action and Nature Recovery, suggested that there were some positive aspects to the proposals, however there were concerns about the centralisation of policies. Councillor Prosser queried if Government had addressed the housing numbers and targets in the proposed new framework. Councillor Ashton clarified that the housing targets had been made clear to be a minimum with no prospect of these being reduced.

 

Councillor Duncan Enright, Deputy Leader of the Council, welcomed that in the proposals certain elements of the planning system were being proposed to be standardised, particularly for smaller builders who worked across districts. Councillor Enright noted that in a rural district the “place” was important to ensure that that context was recognised in developments. Finally, Councillor Enright suggested that it was still difficult for young people in the district to get housing close to their networks and so the Local Plan produced by the Council should be well thought through and supported by the NPPF.

 

Non-Executive Members present suggested that the changes were significant and therefore encouraged cross-party representation to be made by the Council to the three Members of Parliament for West Oxfordshire. The members highlighted some of the flaws in the proposals that should be raised, these included the need for local representation, the removal of environmental protections which would impact the Salt Cross development among others, building near stations which was considered inappropriate in some rural settings and developers being enabled to buy out of their obligations around affordable housing and environmental provision.

 

Councillor Andy Graham, Leader of the Council, seconded the proposal and stated that, in light of the comments made by non-Executive members, he would commit to sending the response to Members of Parliament for West Oxfordshire and would raise the matter with them at his next regular meeting with them.

 

This was voted on and agreed unanimously.

 

The Executive resolved to:

1.    Note the content of the report and agree that the suggested draft consultation response attached at Annex A is submitted to Government.

2.    Delegate authority to the Head of Planning in consultation with the Executive Member for Planning to finalise the consultation response and make amendments to address comments from the Overview and Scrutiny Committee and the Executive

Report author: Chris Hargraves

Publication date: 13/03/2026

Date of decision: 11/03/2026

Decided at meeting: 11/03/2026 - Executive

Accompanying Documents:

 

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