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Agenda item

Annual Monitoring Report (2021 – 2023)

Purpose

The Annual Monitoring Report (2021-2023) was presented to the Executive on 17 January 2023 and noted by the Executive. The Committee agreed that this item should be included on the agenda.

 

Recommendation

That the Committee scrutinises the report and agrees any recommendations it wishes to make to the Executive.

 

Invited

Councillor Charlie Maynard, Executive Member for Planning and Sustainable Development

Chris Hargraves, Planning Policy Manager

Minutes:

The Lead Planning Policy & Implementation Officer introduced the report and stated that it was an annual requirement to track progress and implementation of the Local Plan. This report covered a two-year period from 1 April 2021 to 31 March 2023. The Council was considered to have been largely successful in meeting its core objectives over the period, particularly housing delivery and supporting sustainable economic growth. There were some areas for improvement around infrastructure delivery and impact on natural resources. The officer highlighted the following information:

  • The majority of planning applications received by the Council had been approved in accordance with the Local Plan.
  • The majority of appeals made against Council decisions were dismissed although some residential developments, including a major development at the Moors in Ducklington, had been allowed on appeal.
  • New infrastructure funding totalling over £2.3m had been agreed during the period to support the delivery of new development. There remained a significant gap between the cost of infrastructure and the funding available to deliver infrastructure.
  • A total of 1,731 residential dwellings had been completed of which 687 were affordable. Planning permission had been granted for a further 802 dwellings.
  • There had been delays to the delivery at a number of allocated housing sites. Officers were working with developers and site promoters to address these delays.
  • There had been a rebasing of the housing land supply figures and the Council was currently able to demonstrate a 5-year land supply.
  • A significant area of new employment floor space had been approved, with the majority of this in the West Witney area. Approvals for new employment floor space in rural areas were more limited in number and scale although the Local Plan policies did support this.
  • The most significant deprivation domain related to barriers to housing and services. This was a reflection on housing affordability and the rural nature of the district.
  • The majority of approved developments had been located in the most accessible areas of the district which provided residents with a choice of transport options.
  • A number of highways improvement schemes had been identified in the Local Plan. Approval had been granted to the west facing A40 slip road at Shores Green which should improve access to Witney. Development had commenced at the park and ride facility at Eynsham.
  • The Local Plan had been largely successful in steering development away from environmentally sensitive areas. There had been no significant changes to areas of protected habitats and numbers of protected species.
  • The latest Environment Agency data for the Evenlode and Windrush catchments indicated that all water bodies had failed their chemical status. Discharges from storm overflows into water courses were recognised as contributing significantly to this issue.

 

The Committee asked a number of questions and noted that:

  • Most employers in the district had less than 5 employees.
  • The mix of 1 bed and 2 bed dwellings delivered was skewed towards flats and apartments rather than houses and this was to some extent driven by the market. The Council would review the targets going forwards based on what had been delivered.
  • The Executive Member for Planning and Sustainable Development agreed that the water quality issue was deeply concerning and confirmed that it was something the Executive had been working hard on addressing with Thames Water.
  • Grampian conditions meant that any new houses could not be occupied until the relevant sewage treatment works had sufficient capacity.
  • There was a need to consider the cumulative impact of development on fluvial flood risk in the lowlands area as this appeared to be a growing issue. There was a need to be careful about housing locations.
  • Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plans were important and there was a need for a cycle route between Carterton and Witney due to the size of the workforce going both ways.
  • The Council should be more proactive in seeking bespoke advice on active travel from the County Council when it responds to development applications as a consultee. The facilitation of health impact assessments on major assessments would be key to this.

 

The Lead Planning Policy & Implementation Officer agreed to follow up on a question about whether the Council needed to have a 5-year land supply for gypsy and traveller sites and the status of this.

 

Supporting documents:

 

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