West Oxfordshire District Council takes next steps in delivering social rented homes for local people in the centre of Witney

The Council is at the stage of agreeing to progress to detailed design of a social rented homes development on part of Woodford Way car park, which has long been designated for housing and forms a crucial part of delivering much needed social homes in West Oxfordshire. The Council will also be considering entering into a contract with Soha Housing to deliver and manage the scheme. 

In West Oxfordshire, average house prices in the district are almost ten times average earnings and remain around £80,000 higher than the national average.  

At the same time, while the number of homes in West Oxfordshire has nearly doubled over the last 40 years, increasing from around 27,000 in 1981 to more than 48,000 in 2021, the number of affordable rented homes has actually fallen from approximately 6,500 to 6,300.  

Estimates show that there are over 2,800 local households in need of affordable housing in West Oxfordshire and over 1,800 are currently on the housing waiting list. Estimates also show that more than 110 new local households each year will require affordable housing they cannot access through the open market.  

The most required type of homes are one and two bed homes. The people who often need these properties are young people needing their first home, working adults on low incomes, people with disabilities and no income, single parents and older people on state pensions. 

While the Council has included ambitious targets for social housing in its Local Plan, Woodford Way remains the only viable site the council owns where it can develop social housing by itself.  The Council’s approach will ensure that all investment goes towards developing a high-quality development with the maximum amount of social rented homes. The Council is looking to use Section 106 and grant funding to deliver the scheme. 

Councillor Geoff Saul, Executive Member for Housing and Community Safety, said, “We have a housing crisis in West Oxfordshire. The need for social housing in West Oxfordshire has never been clearer.  

“Every week we hear from local people and families who are struggling to find a home they can actually afford, and our housing register shows just how significant that demand has become after decades of underinvestment in social rented homes, exacerbated by the cost of living crisis. 

“By bringing forward this development on council-owned land, we have the chance to deliver high-quality homes for local people in a sustainable location close to jobs, services and public transport. 

"This is about putting residents first and giving more people the security of a home they can afford. While there is still work to do through the design, consultation and planning process, we are pleased to be moving forward with proposals that could provide up to 60 much-needed social rent homes for our communities."  

As part of the design process the Council will also consider car parking provision and it is anticipated public spaces will remain on the site with the number to be confirmed as plans progress. Witney currently has over 1800 free parking spaces in the town centre with surveys showing average occupancy around 72%. There are also many other on-street spaces plus car parks associated with businesses. This includes the 590 space Marriotts Walk car park opposite Woodford Way that operates under capacity. 

Subject to Executive approval, the Council will progress detailed design work and prepare a planning application. Any application would be subject to public consultation and consideration through the formal planning process.