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Issue - meetings

Local Plan Annual Monitoring 2024/25

 

 

Meeting: 17/12/2025 - Executive (Item 437)

437 Local Plan Annual Monitoring 2024/25 pdf icon PDF 90 KB

Purpose:

To considerthe Council’sLocal PlanAnnual MonitoringReport (AMR)for the period 1 April 2024 to 31 March 2025.

 

Recommendation:

That the Executive Resolves to:

1.    Note the content of the report.

 

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Councillor Andy Graham, Leader of the Council, introduced the report, the purpose of which was to consider the Council’s Local Plan Annual Monitoring Report (AMR) for the period 1 April 2024 to 31 March 2025.

 

Councillor Graham advised that following consideration by the Overviews and Scrutiny Committee, a second recommendation was now included in the report as follows:

 

  1. Delegate authority to the Planning Policy Manager, in consultation with the Executive Member for Planning, to make minor amendments to the Annual Monitoring Report 2024/25 and finalise it for publication on the Council website.

 

Councillor Graham invited the Officer to present the key points of the report to the Executive, and the following points were made:

 

  • The Council was required to publish an AMR each year and it detailed progress against the Council’s adopted Local Plan 2031.
  • The report looked back over the previous year to consider decisions that had been made and how these compared to targets in the Local Plan.
  • The AMR provided updates on the progress of key planning documents such as the emerging Local Plan 2043, Salt Cross Area Action Plan and Community Infrastructure Levy.
  • The AMR mirrored the five main sections of the current Local Plan 2031: Overall Strategy; Housing delivery; Economic growth and Environmental and Heritage assets. The AMR provided indicators under each of these headings. The key points under each of these headings was summarised by the Officer and could be seen in the Executive report under sections 2.10 to 2.37. 

 

Councillor Graham asked the Officer to explain the reason for the housing completion figures that were lower than expected. The Officer advised that this was primarily as a result of strategic scale housing allocations being delayed in coming forward for development. Developments such as Salt Cross and North Witney had been expected, and the Officer explained the reasons for the delay in these sites coming forward.

 

A Member commented that proposed changes to the planning system were regrettable. It was clarified that there were no proposals to eliminate committees though reforms were proposed.

 

Councillor Graham proposed accepting the recommendations of the report with the additional recommendation stated above.

 

Councillor Andrew Prosser, Executive member for Climate Action and Nature Recovery, seconded the proposal.

 

This was voted on and approved unanimously.

 

RESOLVED:

that the Executive:

  1. Noted the content of the report.
  2. Delegated authority to the Planning Policy Manager, in consultation with the Executive Member for Planning, to make minor amendments to the Annual Monitoring Report 2024/25 and finalise it for publication on the Council website.

Meeting: 10/12/2025 - Overview and Scrutiny Committee (Item 71)

71 Local Plan Annual Monitoring 2024/25 pdf icon PDF 159 KB

Purpose

Pre-decision scrutiny of an Executive report detailing the Council’s Local Plan Annual Monitoring Report for 2024/25.

 

Recommendation

That the Overview and Scrutiny Committee resolves to:

1.         Note the report and agree any recommendations it wishes to submit to the Executive.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Principal Planning Policy Officer presented the Local Plan Annual Monitoring Report (AMR) for 2024/25 and highlighted that:

  • Three stages of Local Plan consultation had been completed and the fourth stage was underway, generating a positive level of engagement with over 600 comments submitted to date as well as high attendance at community engagement events.
  • The next stage would be the Draft Local Plan consultation in Spring 2026.
  • One Neighbourhood Plan had recently been made, making a total of 10 made plans with a further 7 in progress.
  • 1368 applications had been determined and over 1100 approved.
  • Permission had been granted for a net gain of 667 dwellings and 300 net dwellings had been completed in 2024/25, of which over 50% were affordable tenures. It was acknowledged that housing delivery had not kept up with identified need.
  • Progress had been made on the delivery of key infrastructure projects.
  • The Council was using Grampian conditions to ensure that sewerage infrastructure was in place prior to the occupation of new dwellings.

 

The Committee asked questions and noted from the responses of the Head of Planning and Principal Planning Policy Officer that:

  • The Draft Local Plan and accompanying Infrastructure Delivery Plan would draw on a range of robust evidence and facilitate a more proactive approach to ensuring that infrastructure would be phased appropriately to support the planned level of growth.
  • Grampian conditions were considered a last resort that the Council had had to rely on. The wording of conditions had been improving to make them more robust.
  • There was a robust policy on the water environment, including water supply and flood risk. The Council would review this policy as part of the Local Plan process.
  • The issue of sewerage capacity was not unique to Oxfordshire but was high on the agenda of the Oxford Growth Commission.
  • Policies were in place to ensure that a good proportion of new housing was affordable housing but the overall housing delivery figures were well below target. There were a number of approvals coming through which were expected to lead to an uplift in delivery but the target was very challenging.
  • The Council was under an obligation to work collaboratively with neighbouring authorities on housing delivery. Oxford City was looking to rebase its Local Plan from 2025 and discussions remained ongoing.
  • The Council did not capture data on the effect of applying the tilted balance (i.e. the numbers of applications approved that would have otherwise been refused if the Council was able to demonstrate a 5-year housing land supply).
  • It was difficult to estimate when the Council would once again be able to demonstrate a 5-year housing land supply but the Council was doing all it could to address the issue.
  • The Council had a dedicated officer tracking S106 agreements to ensure their delivery. All tiers of local government could bid for how S106 contributions would be used to mitigate the impact of development.
  • The introduction of CIL would provide some funding directly to town and parish councils  ...  view the full minutes text for item 71

 

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