Witney News - Still time to have your say on West Oxon Future

Still time to have your say on West Oxon Future

West Oxfordshire District Council’s draft Core Strategy sets a locally derived housing target taking into account forecast local household changes, to replace the regional targets due to be revoked by the Government. It also identifies locations for larger-scale housing developments, employment sites and infrastructure such as roads, schools and leisure facilities.

The draft strategy is of vital importance to the future development of West Oxfordshire and builds upon feedback during the past three years from residents and key service providers about important issues that they feel need to be tackled in West Oxfordshire.

The Council is reminding residents and businesses that you are encouraged to respond to the consultation by the 11 March 2011 and to give us your views.

The draft strategy sets the local housing target at 4,300 extra homes for West Oxfordshire over the next 15 years. It is proposed that:

· Carterton should receive further growth - about 1,600 new homes, including 1,000 built as part of a new development either east or west of the town. Potential developers of these areas are being invited to demonstrate how the local area may benefit.
· The number of new homes for Witney has been set at about 1,500. There is one strategic development area identified - at Downs Road to the west of Witney, with about 1,000 new homes, new school facilities, open space, community and leisure facilities and a large area for new businesses. Land to the north of Witney has not been identified as a strategic development area.
· There is no strategic site identified for Chipping Norton. Proposals include 400 homes for the town, including existing permissions. Additional town centre shopping and community facilities are earmarked for land between the High Street and Albion Street.
· About 800 new homes will be built at different locations elsewhere across the district in other towns and villages to meet local housing need.

Cllr Warwick Robinson, the Council’s Cabinet Member for Strategic Planning, said: “This is an important step in the strategic planning process for West Oxfordshire and we urge residents to look at the proposals and tell us their views. The strategy is still in the draft stages and this gives people another chance to tell us what they think. All feedback will be taken into consideration before we move onto preparing the final Core Strategy, which we hope will be ready for submission to the Government later this year.”

The draft strategy can be viewed online at www.westoxon.gov.uk/corestrategy and hard copies of the documents are available at:

· The Council’s Elmfield Office and Town Centre Shop, Witney
· The Guildhall, Chipping Norton
· Public libraries in the district

Anyone who wishes to comment on the draft strategy can do so online at www.westoxon.gov.uk/corestrategy or email [email protected]. Alternatively, they can write to Planning Policy, West Oxfordshire District Council, Elmfield, New Yatt Road, Witney, OX28 1PB.