The Vale of White Horse District Council have published the latest proposals for the District's new local Plan to 2031. This consultation provides an update on our housing target and possible new sites for housing. You can view the consultation draft and comment online by visiting www.whitehorsedc.gov.uk/localplanpartone.
As part of the consultation we have embarked on a range of public meetings and exhibitions around the district (details below). We want to speak to as many people as possible to explain the proposals and the reasons why we find ourselves facing this challenge. We have already met with Parish Council and other stakeholders and last night saw the first of the public meetings that we are holding. We would encourage people to attend the exhibitions and meetings for their opportunity to ask questions directly of our team. Since publishing our draft Local Plan just over a year ago, we have been working with other local authorities in Oxfordshire to develop a Strategic Housing Market Assessment (SHMA). This is the document that identifies the amount of housing needed across our district and across Oxfordshire as a whole. The results of the SHMA set a new challenge for the Vale. We need to find sites for 7,430 more homes, bringing the total that the district needs to deliver between 2011 and 2031 to 20,560. This huge housing target that we have to deliver is not welcomed by anyone, least of all the Vale of White Horse District Council, however we cannot avoid our responsibility to deliver, and any attempt to do so will only risk further unplanned development across the district in the meantime. To compound matters we need to deliver just over 4,000 of the 7,430 additional homes in the next five years - by 2019. This puts additional pressure to consider small strategic sites of a minimum of 200 units in order to deliver on this target. Whilst we have no choice on the overall target that we need to reach, we welcome your comments on our detailed proposals and any alternative sites that could be identified to meet this need. You can comment through our website at www.whitehorsedc.gov.uk/localplanpartone or email planning.policy@whitehorsedc.gov.uk.
Public meetings and exhibitions
Tuesday 11 March - Abingdon
Our first public meeting took place last night in the Guildhall, Abingdon. The format for the evening, which will be replicated at other public meetings was a presentation on the background and detail of the proposals, followed by around an hour of questions from the public.
Wednesday 12 March - Didcot
Exhibition 3-7.30pm Cornerstone Arts Centre
Saturday 15 March - Harwell
Exhibition 10am-3pm Harwell Community Primary School
Monday 17 March - Milton
Exhibition 4-6pm St Blaise Primary School, Milton Heights Public Meeting 7-9pm De Vere, Milton Hill House
Saturday 22 March - Abingdon
Exhibition 10-3pm Bury Street Shopping Centre
Monday 24 March - Shrivenham
Exhibition 4-6pm Public Meeting 7-9pm Memorial Hall
Tuesday 25 March - Faringdon
Exhibition 3-7.30pm Corn Exchange