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FOLLOWING the news that SODC are likely to scrap its emerging Local Plan 2032 (see LINK), the countryside campaign group CPRE Oxfordshire are demanding that Vale of White Horse District Council should withdraw its Local Plan, Part Two.

In a letter to Vale of White Horse Councillors, CPRE Oxfordshire stated that the Plan should not be adopted until the Oxford Local Plan has been examined and the City’s unmet (housing) need properly assessed.

Green Belt land should not be sacrificed, believes CPRE Oxfordshire – especially when it is as open, and as close to designated environmental areas and precious villages, as it is at Abingdon airfield. Read the letter in full on the CPRE website HERE

THE Cabinet at South Oxfordshire District Council has recommended that councillors vote to withdraw the council’s emerging Local Plan 2034 from examination and begin work on an ambitious new Local Plan.

Cabinet debated the issues at a public meeting at the council’s offices in Milton Park on Thursday, October 3, and agreed to make a recommendation in a motion to Council, that will be considered and voted on by councillors at the full Council meeting next Thursday, October 10.

The motion sets out Cabinet’s reasons for recommending full Council withdraw the plan, an approach which they believe is in the best interests of South Oxfordshire residents.

MOTION
That Cabinet recommended Council to:
(a) withdraw the emerging South Oxfordshire Local Plan 2034,
for the following reasons:

1) The uplift above the standard method from 627 homes to 775 homes a
     year is excessive, and the existence of the Growth Deal should not be
     used as a justification for this uplift
2) The overall supply of homes in the Local Plan period is considered
     excessive as it is over 5,000 homes greater than the need identified for
     South Oxfordshire, even allowing provision for Oxford City’s unmet
     housing need.
3) The Local Plan does not give sufficient weight to responding to the
     climate emergency that we face as recognised by the decision of Council
     of April 11, 2019
4) Concerns about site selection issues including:
* that the scale of Green Belt release is not justified
* flawed site selection having regard to the sustainability and
   deliverability of strategic allocations
* concerns about the impact of the housing mix delivery and density
   policy

(b) Withdraw from the Oxfordshire Statements of Common Ground linked
      to the emerging South Oxfordshire Local Plan 2034
(c) Agree to commence work as soon as practicable on a new ambitious
     Local Plan, to seek to address the above concerns
(d) Request a report on the merits of a joint Local Plan with neighbouring
      authorities
(e) Request the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government to
      provide financial support to support a new ambitious Local Plan
(f) Explore other opportunities for funding
(g) Bring forward revenue expenditure on a new Local Plan currently
      estimated at £2 million into the next Medium-Term Financial Plan
      period, representing the most cost-effective option
(h) Ask officers to prepare a new Local Development Scheme and work
      programme and bring this to Cabinet for approval.

Cllr Sue Cooper, Leader of South Oxfordshire District Council, said: “We have considered the detailed matters relating to the Local Plan long and hard over the past few months and I’m pleased that we’re making a clear, decisive and strong recommendation to councillors. In making this recommendation, my Cabinet has sought to do the right thing, not the easy thing, and we will continue to work positively and constructively in the best interests of all South Oxfordshire residents while also tacking the climate emergency, which we have an enormous responsibility to address.”

Cllr Leigh Rawlins, Cabinet Member for Planning at South Oxfordshire District Council, said: “I am pleased to have had unanimous support from my Cabinet colleagues for the motion I put forward. I firmly believe it reflects the needs of South Oxfordshire residents and addresses their serious concerns. Subject to the support of councillors next week, I’m looking forward to getting to work on an ambitious, sustainaPrevble new Local Plan that properly reflects the needs of our residents.”

SOURCE: Press release – LINK to background stories

THAMES Valley Police have recently had reports of homeless people (LINK) begging in Thame town centre, and have issued advise to the public.

The Thame Neighbourhood Policing team have said: “We have engaged with these individuals, identifying any welfare needs and concerns, signposting them on to support agencies. We would advise to not give money to individuals who are begging.

“We believe that offering shelter, emergency food, clothing and specialist support for substance abuse is a bigger help and we work with a number of local organisations to help those in need.”

BREXIT rages on but Thame’s european connection thrives through friendship and cultural exchanges, even down to its youngest residents.

Following another successful, annual trip to Thame’s twin of Montesson in France recently by Thame’s Twinning Association, a Thame primary school has been presented with a selection of French story books, a gift from its partner school in the French town.

Last Friday, September 27, Year 3 pupils from Mrs Laura McRonald’s French class at John Hampden Primary school in Thame, were presented with a wonderful selection of story books and picture books, brought back to them from Montesson, reciprocating a similar gift from John Hampden school, taken to Montesson by ‘Thame twinning’ members. The English story books were presented to Madame Nathalie Lacroix, who teaches English at École Élémentaire Ferdinand Buisson in Montesson, just before the Thame group left Montesson for home.

Highlight of this year’s road trip to Montesson for the Thame contingent was a visit to the artist Claude Monet’s garden at Giverny, originally planned and planted by the artist himself to resemble an ‘Impressionist’ painting, a garden including the actual Pond Lily pool and Japanese bridge, tunnelled these days with dappled green planting, that featured in Monet’s famous work depicting that very scene.

The house and studio have recently been sensitively developed into a musuem, every room in the house, decorated as it would have been in his day, filled with objects that belonged to him, furniture, dinner services, and all around the walls, photographs of his family and friends and scenes from his life, and paintings, some his own and many Japanese works of art – a country he was facinated by.

The annual, communal rictual of eating a little meat pie, resembling a flattened sausage roll, took place later in the early evening, in a park in Montesson accompanied with wine, all part of the festival of the pâté à la Carmen, which includes a street carnival on the Sunday morning. The reason behind this yearly celebration isn’t completely understood by the locals themselves, but a suggestion of its origins can be found here LINK

A convivial shared meal on the Saturday evening revived flagging bodies, for the day had been very hot and sunny. Here representatives of the French, some German and the visitors from England – our’s being the Chair of Thame and District Twinning Association, Linda Emery – spoke of each other’s deep feelings for the continued friendship that continues between their countries, in Thame’s case, we have been twinned with Montesson for 18 years.

If you would like to discover more about Thame & District Twinning Association, visit the facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/ThameandDistrictTwinningAssociation/ and look out for details of the up-coming quiz night.

HAVING already agreed to consider the implications of the Climate Emergency on the next Local Plan to 2034, Councillors in South Oxfordshire are due to decide the next step for the district’s Local Plan at the council’s next round of meetings, following discussions with the government and partner organisations.

Concerns of local residents

At the Council meeting in July this year, councillors voted to spend some time to find effective and suitable ways to ensure the plan takes into consideration feedback from local residents, who have raised concerns about the emerging Local Plan’s approach to providing land for housing in the district, particularly Green Belt issues and the impact of the proposed Oxford to Cambridge Expressway on the district.

Protecting funds already awarded by government

Since then, councillors and senior council officers have written to government ministers and partner organisations and have been in discussions with representatives from the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government about the options for the Local Plan. Discussions have included options for protecting Housing Infrastructure Fund money that the government has awarded to Oxfordshire County Council for Didcot.

The Local Plan was submitted for examination back in March, but the new Lib Dem-Green coalition administration, elected in May this year, has been reviewing key policies and projects in development across the council, including the Local Plan.

What are the options?

Councillors will now be considering three possible options on the way forward for the Local Plan – the council’s Scrutiny Committee will discuss the options at a meeting on Tuesday, October 1. The committee’s comments will then be considered by the council’s Cabinet on Thursday, October 3. The Cabinet will make a recommendation, which councillors will debate and vote on at the full Council meeting on Thursday, October 10.

Benefits and risks

Here is a brief summary of the options, which are explained in full along with the benefits and risks of each option in a report to the Cabinet, HERE

Option A – make no changes to the plan at this point and allow it to continue to be examined by inspectors.
Option B – withdraw the plan from examination, modify the existing plan and then carry out a final public consultation before submitting the plan and the consultation responses for examination.
Option C – withdraw the plan from examination, commence work on a new plan and carry out two further rounds of public consultation before submitting the new plan for examination.

Implications of the decision

Cllr Sue Cooper, Leader of South Oxfordshire District Council, said: “This is a very important decision, so it was necessary to spend some time ensuring we had greater clarity on how each of the options ahead will affect the district and the wider county, especially the impact they will have on our residents and the climate emergency. Councillors will now consider all these issues along with the financial, planning and legal implications of each of the options.”