Agenda item

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.

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.

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 Plan also recognised that growth should be phased. Development was expected to come forward progressively across the Plan period rather than all at once, which allowed infrastructure, environmental capacity and community services to be delivered alongside new development. This coordinated approach was fundamental to creating places where people can thrive.
The Plan had been shaped through extensive programmes of public engagement.
The Plan would be supported by a comprehensive evidence base, that would include a sustainability appraisal, habitats regulations assessment, housing and employment assessments, settlement sustainability work, transport studies, water cycle studies, flood risk assessments, viability assessments and numerous other specialist reports.
The Publication Draft was both legally compliant and capable of meeting the National Planning Policy Framework’s four tests of soundness. It had been positively prepared, was justified by proportionate evidence, was capable of being delivered effectively and was consistent with national planning policy.
If approved by Council, the next stage was a six-week statutory public consultation. Representations in the consultation should focus on whether the Plan was legally compliant and whether it was sound. Respondents should explain which policies or allocations they were commenting on, why they believed the Plan is or is not legally compliant or sound, and, where appropriate, what changes they considered necessary. Anyone could respond to the consultation. Each representation received would be submitted alongside the Local Plan and supporting evidence to the Secretary of State.
An independent Planning Inspector would then examine the Plan, consider all duly made representations, hold public hearing sessions where necessary and determine whether the Plan was legally compliant and sound. If modifications were required, these would be consulted upon before the Inspector issued a final report. Only after that process would Council be invited to consider adopting the Local Plan.
The Plan was infrastructure-led, evidence-based and had been designed to ensure that growth was sustainable, planned and supported.
Councillor Leffman thanked everyone who had contributed to the Plan preparation: officers, specialist consultants, statutory partners, parish and town councils, infrastructure providers, members of the Executive, all councillors and the many residents and organisations who had taken the time to engage throughout the process.
Councillor Leffman drew the Executive Members’ attention to the Addendum Report, which was published as a supplement to the item. The Addendum Report included officer responses to further comments, including from the Overview and Scrutiny Committee, for consideration by the Executive.

Councillor Andy Graham added that the development of the Plan had been very complex and had taken considerable time to get to this point. Councillor Graham reiterated that the consultation was intended to allow residents and businesses the opportunity to comment on specific areas that were known best to them. He reminded that some aspects of the Plan were governed by national guidelines.

Councillor Andy Graham, Leader of the Council, then invited non-Executive Members of the Council present to address the Executive with any questions, comments or suggestions that they may wish to provide.

A non-Executive Member made the following points and suggestions for consideration by the Executive and Officers:

· In reference to green infrastructure, given the recent heatwave, it was suggested that the Plan should include measures to avoid developments being barren of nature and free of trees. Further policies around the use and maintenance of sustainable drainage systems for environmental benefit was suggested.

· For solar panels, it was suggested that policies should include specifics on the responsibilities for decommissioning these. In addition, further measures to protect bats were suggested, as this was a species particularly effected by solar panels.

· Policies concerning Construction Waste Management Plans should include specifics around what these must contain.

· It was noted that master planning developments could be beneficial and should include engaging residents. This could lead to acceptance of growth more readily by communities. It was suggested that masterplans should be required for developments of more than 200 dwellings, and that the Council should be the body that approved masterplans.

Councillor Graham requested Officers to respond to the Member’s comments and the following points were raised:

· Some of the points raised were adequately dealt with in the Plan. Other comments were reflected in the Addendum Report.

· Regarding green infrastructure, it was felt Policy DM1 had dealt with this adequately and had made specific reference to this.

· An amendment to the plan detailed in the addendum added an additional requirement on the decommissioning of solar farms.

· For both Construction Waste Management Plans and Master Plans the point was taken that refinement could be made on defining these. It was suggested that this could be dealt with in the Addendum Report and glossary to the Plan.

· With regard to bats, Officers considered that the Nature Recovery and Biodiversity Net Gain Policies dealt with the protection of such protected species.

· Officers reminded all that representation should be made through the consultation process going forward.

The Executive then addressed the six recommendations made by the Overview and Scrutiny Committee at their meeting on 8 July 2026. A supplement of the recommendations and responses had been published prior to the meeting.

· Six recommendations had been made by the Overview and Scrutiny Committee.

· Three recommendations had been accepted in full (1, 2 and 4), and the changes resulting from these to the Plan were detailed by Councillor Graham and could be seen Addendum.

· There was partial agreement to recommendation 3, with recognition that the text of the draft Plan in relation to Best and Most Versatile Agricultural Land could be revised to ensure more consistency with national policy.

· The Executive had not agreed to recommendation 5 requiring the Infrastructure Delivery Plan (IDP) be available before Full Council on 22 July. Executive Members noted that this document was important and underpinned the Plan, however it was not a statutory requirement. The Executive gave reassurance that this document would be available for the consultation process. Furthermore, it was noted that the IDP would be informed by the feedback from the consultation itself and could be an evolving document.

· The Executive had not agreed to recommendation 6, that an example of a specific business being relocated in Policy WIT6 be removed. Officers commented that this reference was hypothetical and its inclusion was to demonstrate what could happen in that area. There was no inference in the text that this would or must happen and the owners of the business were able to submit comments in the consultation.

The Executive then addressed other questions and recommendations made by members of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee which were included in Annex D – Local Plan Addendum Report, which had been published prior to the meeting.

Prior to the Executive debating the item, Councillor Graham acknowledged the work on the plan of former Councillors Hugo Ashton and Lidia Arciszewska, noting that they had both made significant contributes.

The Executive then debated the plan and made the following points. It was noted that comments made by the Executive would be picked up and dealt with separately to the recommendations of the report:

· Policy CP4 could be strengthened to include a presumption in favour of developments and infrastructure being adopted by the local authority or utility provider.

· Policy CP5 could include a statement that public sewers being at capacity was not justification for use of non-mains drainage.

· Policy DM12 could highlight a move towards centralised waste management arrangements which would improve waste handling efficiency.

· It was noted that the consultation would provide the first opportunity to see the evidence base and the Plan together.

· It was acknowledged that the housing figures, set by Government, were demanding and the Plan was attempting to meet these. The housing figures were a challenge to deliver with the existing infrastructure. It was hoped the IDP would help tackle this.

· On the Local Plan Addendum Report (Annex D) the following points were suggested:

o Page 12 – There should be no net loss of biodiversity. Therefore paragraph 1 could remove words “where possible”.

o Page 12 – Point 2, replace “minimise” with “prevent water pollution”.

o Page 12 – Point 2 - typographical error should read “River Glyme”

o Page 12 – Point 2 - add River Windrush to list protected designated sites

o Page 12 – Point 2 – should read “river or tributary upstream”

o Page 15 – There should be no impact to air quality allowed by developments. References to development located within or near an Air Quality Management Area needs to reference any development that could “impact” such an area.

o Page 16 – Council include references to tributaries and impact on air quality management areas.

o Water Policies CP5 and DM10 need to be specific on the impact of large energy or water users such as data centres.

· The updated Plan was an important upgrade and update on the current adopted Plan.

· Some of resident’s concerns that had been provided to Members were contradictory.

· The Plan could bring forward more land for employment.

· The Plan could develop and seek to extend existing health centres.

· Encouragement could be given for express bus services to Oxford for rural settlements with proposed growth in housing e.g. Chipping Norton.

· Recent research findings had shown that only half of local plans required new buildings to have cooling and ventilation strategies. Against the background of the recent weather an acknowledgment was requested that new builds should be required to have such strategies.

· Requests were made to tightening aspects of sports provision in particular settlements and to be more specific about provisions.

All points raised by Executive Members would be taken away and considered by the Executive Member for Planning and Infrastructure and Officers. Where appropriate these would be reflected in an updated Addendum Report which would be updated and published in advance of the Full Council meeting.

Councillor Andy Graham proposed accepting the recommendations of the report, with an amendment to recommendation 2 which would enable changes resulting from the Addendum Report document to be included in the Plan.

Recommendation 2 would now read as follows:

“Recommend to Council that authority be delegated to the Head of Planning, in consultation with the Executive Member for Planning and Infrastructure, to make any necessary minor textual, factual and presentational amendments to the pre-submission draft Local Plan, together with any amendments required to reflect agreed recommendations of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee, including as set out in the Local Plan Addendum Report (Annex D), prior to formal publication”.

Councillor Graham concluded by confirming the process and approximate timeframes for the consultation and subsequent examination. Councillor Graham and Officers explored the weight that could be attached to the Plan as it moves thorough the process. Officers advised that this was hard to quantify however broadly the document attracted more weight, contingent on the number of representations that it had received, as it goes through the process.

Councillor Liz Leffman seconded the proposals.

The proposals were put to the vote and were agreed unanimously.

The Executive resolved to:

1. 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.

2. Recommend to Council that authority be delegated to the Head of Planning, in consultation with the Executive Member for Planning and Infrastructure, to make any necessary minor textual, factual and presentational amendments to the pre-submission draft Local Plan, together with any amendments required to reflect agreed recommendations of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee, including as set out in the Local Plan Addendum Report (Annex D), prior to formal publication..

3. 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.

Supporting documents:

Agenda item

Approval of Regulation 19 Draft Submission Local Plan for Public Consultation

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