West Oxfordshire District Council responds to government's consultation on planning reforms
West Oxfordshire District Council has submitted a detailed response to the Government's consultation on proposed reforms to the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) and other changes to the planning system. Whilst welcoming many aspects of the proposals, the Council has raised significant concerns over certain proposals, particularly those relating accelerated rate of delivery of new homes, without resolving outstanding issues relating to land assembly, developer build-out, and securing funding for essential infrastructure.
Councillor Hugo Ashton, Executive Member for Planning, said:
“Whilst we support many of the proposed changes to the planning system, we do have some significant concerns which we have fed back to government, especially around the rapid proposed increase in the number of new homes to be built.
“Whilst we fully acknowledge the need to deliver new, high-quality homes, particularly social rented housing, this needs to happen in a plan-led, sustainable way with homes coming forward in the right places and with the proper infrastructure to support them.
“We also believe that more needs to be done to get homes built once they are agreed in Local Plans. We are currently reliant on landowners and developers to build the homes we have approved, and in some cases, they are not delivering. We can't do anything about this, and it is leaving us open to speculative, unplanned development that the community often doesn’t want.
“We are not the only district in this position, and it needs to change to protect communities, make sure homes are properly planned for and we have the right infrastructure in place.”
Supporting Key Reforms
The Council welcomes several key reforms proposed in the consultation, including:
- Increased provision of social rented homes.
- Greater emphasis on community-led housing initiatives.
- Improved focus on the use of previously developed land.
- Adoption of a vision-led approach to transport planning, a direction already embraced by Oxfordshire County Council in its latest transport strategy.
The council also supports proposals to enhance educational infrastructure and encourage the use of renewable energy.
Concerns About Housing Delivery
Despite this positive outlook, West Oxfordshire District Council has expressed major reservations about certain housing-related proposals.
Up until recently, rates of housing delivery in West Oxfordshire have been very strong and in line with the local plan, however slow delivery on some larger sites means that looking forward, the council is just falling short of showing it has a 5-year land supply, a requirement to demonstrate that enough new homes will be built over the next five years. This is leading to more and more speculative developments getting approval from the government’s Planning Inspectorate, against local wishes. Sites with over 6000 new homes have been approved but construction has not yet started.
Many of the reasons for slow delivery are beyond the control of local planning authorities such as developers not bringing forward planning applications and land ownership difficulties. The council feels that now is an opportunity to change this approach and either provide more powers to bring forward the delivery of homes or change the way a 5-year land supply is judged. The goal of this would be to make sure that any new development is in line with the Local Plan. This would mean infrastructure is better considered and communities have a say on where building takes place.
The council is concerned that the proposed changes will inevitably lead to more speculative planning applications, indeed the consultation itself acknowledges that this is likely to happen.
Urgent Need to Address Climate and Infrastructure Concerns
West Oxfordshire District Council has also raised concerns that the proposed changes do not adequately address climate and ecological emergencies. The council advocates for stronger national support for Local Nature Recovery Strategies and more ambitious targets for biodiversity net gain.
The council also calls for greater flexibility for local authorities to achieve net-zero carbon in new buildings and urges the government to address the issue of embodied carbon in construction. Furthermore, the council highlights the need for a more robust approach to ensuring that housing development is supported by appropriate infrastructure, particularly in relation to highway and public transport provision, energy supply, and foul water sewage and treatment capacity.
An opportunity to do more for food security and green industries
The council also believes that the consultation falls short in addressing important issues such as food security, healthy place-shaping, and support for green industries. As West Oxfordshire continues to tackle the challenges posed by the climate crisis, the Council is keen to see stronger national policies in these areas.