Public hearing sessions of Vale of White Horse District Council’s Local Plan 2031 Part 2 will begin in July.
A government-appointed planning inspector has announced the timetable for public hearing dates as part of the examination process to determine whether Part 2 of the Plan is ‘sound’ and legally compliant, in line with national planning guidance.
The hearings will take place over three weeks, starting at 10am:
- July 3-6 and then July 24-27 at the Advanced Skills Building, Abingdon and Witney College, Abingdon Campus
- September 4-7 at the Beacon, Wantage
Full details about the hearings and a guidance note from the inspector are available here... Local Plan 2031 Part 2 Examination page.
As part of the examination process, the inspector will consider all comments submitted during the final consultation period that took place at the end of last year. The hearings are open to the public, however only people invited by the inspector will be able to participate.
After the examination has finished, the inspector will issue a report with recommendations to either accept the Plan as it is or with modifications, or reject it.
Cllr Roger Cox, Leader of the Council and Cabinet Member for Planning, said: “We are confident that Part 2 of our Local Plan is robust and look forward to taking this next step towards having it adopted.
“A significant amount of work has gone into producing the Plan and it will play an important role in how the district develops and meets the housing challenge in the coming years, particularly how we can help to address Oxford’s unmet housing needs. Thank you, once again, to everyone who has commented on and helped to shape the Plan.”
Councils are required to have Local Plans to identify sites for housing, retail and employment development along with the infrastructure needed to support this growth, such as new roads and schools.
Part 1 of the Vale’s Local Plan was adopted in 2016 and set out sites and policies to address the Vale’s own housing need. Part 2 complements this by detailing policies to assist development management, policies for Didcot Garden Town and additional sites for 2,200 extra homes to meet the district’s share of Oxford’s unmet housing needs.
This includes 1,200 homes at Dalton Barracks, along with 600 homes adjacent to Kingston Bagpuize with Southmoor (within Fyfield and Tubney Parish) and smaller sites at East Marcham and East Hanney.
Further information about the Local Plan is available on the Vale's Local Plan page.
