Issue - meetings

Approval of Regulation 19 Draft Submission Local Plan for Public Consultation

Purpose

For Members to consider the proposed pre-submission draft West Oxfordshire Local Plan 2043 including the timetable for formally publishing the draft plan in accordance with legislative requirements.

Recommendation

Subject to the resolutions of the Executive on 15 July 2026, Council is recommended to resolve to:

1. Approve the pre-submission draft Local Plan attached at Annex A for the purposes of formal publication for a statutory period of at least 6-weeks in accordance with Regulation 19 of the Town and Country Planning (Local Planning) (England) Regulations 2012.

2. Delegate authority to the Head of Planning, in consultation with the Executive Member for Planning and Infrastructure, to make any necessary minor textual and presentational amendments, and any amendments necessary to reflect any agreed Overview and Scrutiny recommendations, to the pre-submission draft Local Plan, prior to formal publication.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Cllr Enright declared an interest as he worked in the planning and development industry and left the room for the remainder of the item.

Councillor Graham, Leader of the Council, introduced the report and proposed the recommendations, explaining that Council was not being asked to adopt the Local Plan but to approve the Regulation 19 draft for statutory public consultation prior to submission for independent examination.

Councillor Leffman, Executive Member for Planning and Infrastructure, seconded the recommendations and outlined the purpose of the Local Plan, noting that it would guide development in West Oxfordshire to 2043, including housing, employment, infrastructure, environmental protection, transport, healthcare, education and community facilities. The Executive Member emphasised that the plan was evidence-based, infrastructure-led, supported by extensive technical studies and had been shaped through significant public engagement over several years.

In debate, Members raised the following points;

The Regulation 19 consultation would focus on the legal compliance and soundness of the plan before it was submitted for examination by the Planning Inspectorate.
The work undertaken on the plan was welcome.
There were concerns that the Infrastructure Delivery Plan (IDP) had not been published at this stage. Concerns were expressed regarding the ability of Members and the public to scrutinise infrastructure requirements before the consultation commenced.

· The IDP was a supporting technical document that would be published as part of the Regulation 19 consultation package. The Leader confirmed that it would be reviewed by the Executive Member for Planning and Infrastructure, and by the Executive, before publication. He also stated that concerns relating to infrastructure could be raised through the consultation process and considered as part of the independent examination.

Additional concerns were raised regarding the consultation timetable and the potential impact of the summer holiday period on responses from parish and town councils.

In summing up, Councillor Graham thanked members for their comments and concluded by emphasising that the decision related to progressing to the next statutory stage of the plan-making process and would enable residents, businesses and stakeholders to submit representations before examination by an independent Planning Inspector.

The recommendations were put to the vote and agreed by Council.

Council resolved to:

Approve the pre-submission draft Local Plan attached at Annex A for the purposes of formal publication for a statutory period of at least 6-weeks in accordance with Regulation 19 of the Town and Country Planning (Local Planning) (England) Regulations 2012.
Delegate authority to the Head of Planning, in consultation with the Executive Member for Planning and Infrastructure, to make any necessary minor textual and presentational amendments, and any amendments necessary to reflect any agreed Overview and Scrutiny recommendations, to the pre-submission draft Local Plan, prior to formal publication.

For 25 against 3 abstain 11

Meeting: 15/07/2026 - Executive (Item 518)

Webcast for 15/07/2026 - Executive

518 Approval of Regulation 19 Draft Submission Local Plan for Public Consultation PDF 149 KB

Purpose:

For Members to consider the proposed pre-submission draft West Oxfordshire Local Plan 2043 including the timetable for formally publishing the draft plan in accordance with legislative requirements.

Recommendations:

That the Executive resolves to:

Recommend to Council to approve the pre-submission draft Local Plan attached at Annex A for the purposes of formal publication for a statutory period of at least 6-weeks in accordance with Regulation 19 of the Town and Country Planning (Local Planning) (England) Regulations 2012.
Recommended to Council to delegate authority to the Head of Planning, in consultation with the Executive Member for Planning and Infrastructure to make any necessary minor textual and presentational amendments, and any amendments necessary to reflect any agreed Overview and Scrutiny Committee recommendations, to the pre-submission draft Local Plan in conjunction with Officers, prior to formal publication.
Agree that the Local Development Scheme (LDS) attached at Annex B be published online and made available in hard copy format in agreed ‘deposit’ locations across the district.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Councillor Duncan Enright, Deputy Leader of the Council, left the room for the duration of this item.

Councillor Andy Graham, Leader of the Council, began the item by explaining that, as the meeting was in public, and given the importance of the Local Plan, he wanted to ensure that everyone had the opportunity to participate in the process in accordance with the Council’s Constitution. Councillor Graham continued by outlining the order in which the item would be dealt with: an introduction to the report and the recommendation before the Executive; Non-Executive Members of the Council would be given the opportunity to ask questions and make comments followed by responses from Executive Members and Officers; consideration of the recommendations made by the Overview and Scrutiny Committee and finally

the Executive debate on the report and a decision on the recommendations in the report.

Councillor Liz Leffman, Executive Member for Planning and Infrastructure, then presented the item, the purpose of which was for Members to consider the proposed pre-submission draft West Oxfordshire Local Plan 2043 including the timetable for formally publishing the draft plan in accordance with legislative requirements.

In her presentation the Executive Member made the following points:

The recommendation proposed in the report was that the Executive recommend that Council approves the Plan for statutory public consultation.
This was an important milestone in what had been a thorough, evidence-led and transparent process that had taken place over several years.
The Executive were not being asked to adopt the Local Plan. The recommendation was requesting that the Executive recommended to Council that the Publication Draft be approved for a six-week statutory consultation before it was submitted for independent examination by the Planning Inspectorate.
The Local Plan had provided the framework for how West Oxfordshire would grow and develop to 2043. The Plan was about more than housing. It had planned for employment opportunities, schools, healthcare, transport, walking and cycling infrastructure, utilities, flood mitigation, green spaces, community facilities, renewable energy and the protection of our natural and historic environment.
Without an up-to-date Local Plan, development did not stop. Instead, decisions became increasingly driven by national policy and speculative planning applications. This would reduce the Council’s ability to shape where development took place and the quality of that development. The Plan gave the opportunity to plan positively and ensured that growth happened in the right places and in the right way.
One of the defining principles of this Local Plan was that development must be supported by infrastructure. Ensuring that new homes were accompanied by the services and facilities communities needed—schools, GP surgeries, roads, public transport, walking and cycling routes, water and wastewater capacity, electricity networks, green infrastructure, parks, leisure facilities and digital connectivity.
Growth must create sustainable communities, not simply larger settlements. The Plan would be backed by an extensive Infrastructure Delivery Plan and a wide range of technical evidence that identified what infrastructure was needed, who was responsible for delivering it and, where possible, when it should come forward.
The ... view the full minutes text for item 518

Meeting: 08/07/2026 - Overview and Scrutiny Committee (Item 147)

Webcast for 08/07/2026 - Overview and Scrutiny Committee

147 Approval of Regulation 19 Draft Submission Local Plan for Public Consultation PDF 148 KB

Purpose

For Members to consider the proposed pre-submission draft West Oxfordshire Local Plan 2043 including the timetable for formally publishing the draft plan in accordance with legislative requirements.

Recommendation

That Overview and Scrutiny Committee resolves to:

1. Note the report and make any applicable recommendations for the Executive to consider at the meeting on 15 July.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The purpose of the item was for Members to consider the proposed pre-submission draft West Oxfordshire Local Plan 2043 including the timetable for formally publishing the draft plan in accordance with legislative requirements.

The Committee considered the Regulation 19 Draft Local Plan and received a presentation from officers addressing questions submitted in advance of the meeting. Members were advised that the Plan would cover the period 2025 to 2043 and included a spatial strategy, housing and employment allocations, development management policies, area strategies and a delivery and monitoring framework. Subject to approval, the Plan would be published for public consultation before being submitted for examination later in the year.

The Executive Member for Planning and Infrastructure thanked officers, the Local Plan Working Group and her predecessor for their work in preparing the Plan and emphasised the importance of the pre-decision scrutiny process undertaken by the committee in identifying any recommendations to be considered by the Executive before consultation commenced.

A significant element of the discussion focused on infrastructure delivery and whether supporting infrastructure could realistically be delivered alongside planned growth. Members highlighted concerns regarding the availability of funding, particularly for major transport and utility infrastructure, and questioned the extent to which reliance could be placed on developer contributions. Officers advised that the Plan had adopted an infrastructure-first approach, supported by a forthcoming Infrastructure Delivery Plan, site-specific infrastructure requirements and the use of Grampian conditions where necessary to prevent occupation of development until required infrastructure was available. Members welcomed the stronger emphasis on infrastructure delivery but noted that future investment from utility providers and Government would remain critical.

Members discussed wastewater infrastructure at length, expressing concern about the ability of Thames Water to provide the upgrades necessary to support planned housing growth. Questions were raised regarding capacity constraints at sewage treatment works, the timing of upgrades and the risk of development proceeding ahead of infrastructure improvements. Officers advised that extensive engagement had taken place with Thames Water, supported by a Water Cycle Study, and that policies had been included within the Plan to ensure development aligned with available wastewater infrastructure. Members remained concerned about the uncertainty surrounding future upgrades and emphasised the importance of robust safeguards and monitoring arrangements.

The Committee considered housing growth requirements and noted that the proposed housing requirement reflected both West Oxfordshire's assessed needs and a continuing contribution towards Oxford City's unmet housing need. Officers explained the rationale for the stepped housing trajectory, the inclusion of contingency within the overall housing supply and the monitoring arrangements that would be used to track delivery. Discussion took place regarding strategic allocations already progressing through the planning process, the relationship between emerging planning applications and the Local Plan, and the need to retain sufficient flexibility should allocated sites fail to be delivered.

Transport and mass rapid transit formed a further area of discussion. Members sought clarification on the purpose and likely form of the safeguarded mass rapid transit corridor and questioned how such infrastructure might be funded and delivered. Officers ... view the full minutes text for item 147

Issue - meetings

Approval of Regulation 19 Draft Submission Local Plan for Public Consultation

Meeting: 22/07/2026 - Council (Item 133)

Meeting: 15/07/2026 - Executive (Item 518)

Meeting: 08/07/2026 - Overview and Scrutiny Committee (Item 147)

Related Pages