POETS (Planning Oxfordshire’s Environment & Transport Sustainably) have called for plans to build an Expressway between Oxford and Cambridge to be scrapped immediately.  Instead, opening of the rail line between the two cities should be brought forward and be electrified from the outset.

At the same time, new housing in Oxfordshire should be located where it can be best served by public transport, and should also be more closely targeted to meeting existing housing need.

These are some of the recommendations put forward by a group of transport and planning professionals with many years’ experience of working in the county.

Noel Newson, formerly chief assistant engineer at Oxford city council, said: “The plans for Oxfordshire must take account of the climate crisis.  It is folly to be building major new roads which will only add to carbon emissions.  Instead we should be planning to locate new housing where people don’t need to use a car for their every need.  And of course you don’t need HGVs to transport ideas between leading universities.”

The group is writing to all of Oxfordshire’s MPs and county and district councillors.  It is recommending a re-think of the plans for Oxfordshire currently being developed by the Oxfordshire Growth Board.

Amongst their other recommendations are changes to the way in which new housing is built and allocated.  “No-one can deny that there is real housing need in Oxfordshire” says David Young.  “But that will not be addressed by building expensive houses in the green belt around Oxford that will be snapped up by London commuters.  There needs to be a change in government policy to provide genuinely affordable housing to rent or buy.”

Balancing Oxfordshire’s Growth in a Climate Change Emergency – POETS June 19

Oxford to Cambridge Corridor – Alternative Strategy – POETS June 19

NNGO understands that the draft Local Industrial Strategy (LIS) is currently with Government for consideration. The Oxfordshire Local Enterprise Partnership (OxLEP) has prepared the Local Industrial Strategy for the county. The aim of the Local Industrial Strategy (LIS) is to create an economy that boosts productivity and earning power, a long-term plan that provides a policy framework against which major private and public sector investment decisions are made.

NNGO says local people and sound planning principles, not an unaccountable quango and developers’ aspirations, should have a say on a strategy that will dictate future economic strategy for the county.

Sue Haywood, Responsible Planning in Burford (RPiB), says:
“The document makes startling claims about the ability to create 108,000 net new jobs in the county by 2040. Since Oxfordshire effectively has full employment, this inevitably means a significant increase in population to take up these new roles.”

NNGO has written to Oxfordshire MPs asking that Oxfordshire’s Local Industrial Strategy is subject to full public consultation and environmental assessment (preferably through the Oxfordshire Plan 2050 process) prior to adoption?

Which candidates will put NEED above GREED?

Local elections are taking place in Cherwell, South Oxfordshire, Vale of White Horse and West Oxfordshire districts.
Visit your District Council website to find out more, including candidates, Wards and number of seats (see links below).

Need Not Greed Oxfordshire have put together some questions you may want to put to candidates to determine their position on: housing; Oxford-Cambridge Expressway; East-West rail; ecology; environment; heritage; local democracy; population of Oxfordshire & growth; Oxfordshire Plan; transport; climate change; employment.

Importantly, we’ve also given the reasons WHY these questions should be asked.

Download Local Elections 2019 Candidates Q&A .

https://www.cherwell.gov.uk/info/11/elections/497/elections-2019

http://www.southoxon.gov.uk/services-and-advice/local-democracy/elections/current-and-upcoming-elections

http://www.whitehorsedc.gov.uk/services-and-advice/local-democracy/elections/current-and-upcoming-elections

https://www.westoxon.gov.uk/about-the-council/elections-voting/future-elections/

Consultation on the vision for the Oxfordshire Plan (Oxfordshire Joint Statutory Spatial Plan) closes 25^th March 2019.
This is a once in a generation opportunity to influence the development of Oxfordshire and ensure decisions are not wholly made by Government and developers.

Read the Oxfordshire Plan 2050 Vision Consultation March 2019 Need Not Greed Response.

Visit Oxfordshire Plan 2050 website: https://oxfordshireplan.inconsult.uk/consult.ti/Oxfordshire_Plan_Intro/consultationHome

Please respond, there are three ways to have your say:

1        Respond by making comments on the consultation document https://oxfordshireplan.inconsult.uk/consult.ti/Oxfordshire_Plan_Intro/viewCompoundDoc?docid=10669236

Respond quickly: copy and paste the suggested text below into the introduction section.

Create your own response: see the NNGO response above to learn more and prepare your own response.

2        Respond by filling in the online questionnaire

https://oxfordshireplan.inconsult.uk/consult.ti/Oxfordshire_Plan_Intro/respondByQuestionnaire

3        Send the suggested text below direct to info@oxfordshireplan.org

Suggested text
The proposed level of growth would be transformational to Oxfordshire and have huge environmental and social impacts, and yet there is no open public debate – the growth targets for this Plan are already assumed.

* Growth must be justified in terms of the benefits it will bring, and how, and not as an end in itself.

* This Plan is predicated on getting large numbers of people to move to Oxfordshire. Where are the social equity implications for Oxfordshire and other parts of the UK being considered?

* Sustainability should be embedded more firmly as a core objective in the strategy, with environmental and social sustainability given at least equal status to that of economic growth.

* The complex timetabling of the Oxfordshire Plan 2050, and its relations to key decisions about the Expressway, need urgent clarification.

* The governance and accountability for the Oxfordshire Plan 2050 needs to be more transparent and locally accountable.

* There must be transparency on how the responses to this consultation are to be used and how the next stages of the Plan process are subsequently revisited, improved and refined.

* A publicly accessible interactive map of the whole County should be prepared showing the impact of all the proposed developments.

* The requirements of our ‘climate emergency’ are underplayed throughout the document and should be given much greater prominence.

* There are a number of differences between the consultation document signed off by our local councils and the final publication version. This process requires explanation.

* We need a commitment to a fully funded and robust green infrastructure strategy and action plan.

Consultation on the vision for the Oxfordshire Plan (Oxfordshire Joint Statutory Spatial Plan) is now open, closes 25^th March 2019.
This is a once in a generation opportunity to influence the development of Oxfordshire and ensure decisions are not wholly made by Government and developers.

At this stage the consultation looks at the Vision and Objectives, not specific targets. However, NNGO believes it’s critical to challenge the underlying assumptions:

• 300,000 more houses need to be built in Oxfordshire
• By 2050 an additional 558,000 will be living in Oxfordshire. In fact, under current plans this figure is more likely to be an additional 690,000 and therefore doubling the population of Oxfordshire.
• That a new Oxford-Cambridge Expressway will be built.
• That all of the above will create an Oxfordshire version of ‘Silicon Valley’.

NNGO fears these key elements have already been decided by the Oxfordshire Growth Board, or rather central government.

Find out more:
The consultation document sets out a series of aspirations, issues to consider, a vision and objectives to guide development in Oxfordshire to 2050.

Visit the Oxfordshire Plan 2050 website to read the document Introducing the Oxfordshire Plan and a series of Topic Papers which give more detailed information on specific areas e.g. housing.

You can respond to the consultation by:
filling in an online questionnaire,
commenting directly on the online document 
or emailing your comments to the Oxfordshire Plan Team:  info@oxfordshireplan.org

Please note there is also a consultation running simultaneously on the Oxfordshire Plan 2050 Sustainability Appraisal Scoping Report.  Read NNGO’s response here.

The South Oxfordshire Local Plan is proposing housing way beyond what is required to meet local needs, putting our rural character – our countryside and communities – at risk. Nearly a third of the housing is allocated within the Oxford Green Belt, undermining its protection in contrast to stated Government policy.
Help us to challenge this Plan!

Download the CPRE guide – South Oxon LP Jan 19 – CPRE Oxon How to Respond

Visit the CPRE website for more information.

The Oxfordshire Local Enterprise Partnership (OxLEP) is currently preparing the Local Industrial Strategy for the county. The aim of the Local Industrial Strategy (LIS) is to create an economy that boosts productivity and earning power, a long term plan that provides a policy framework against which major private and public sector investment decisions are made.

NNGO says local people and sound planning principles, not an unaccountable quango and developers’ aspirations, should have a say on a strategy that will dictate future economic strategy for the county.

Peter Jay, Chairman of ROAR (Rural Oxfordshire Action Rally), says:
“There is no process for public consultation and it appears the strategy will only receive final endorsement from the Oxfordshire Growth Board after it has already been approved by Government. This is despite ‘Ideas’ and ‘People’ being the first of ‘five foundations of productivity’ on which the Industrial Strategy is based.”

NNGO wrote to Greg Clark MP, Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, Oxfordshire MPs and OxLEP asking that Oxfordshire’s Local Industrial Strategy is subject to full public consultation.

LIS Letter to Greg Clark MP

LIS Letter to Oxfordshire MPs

LIS Letter to OxLEP

Press release LIS Dec 18

Oxfordshire’s six local councils have agreed to work together to produce a Joint Statutory Spatial Plan (JSSP). The plan will look at the County’s growth in a co-ordinated, long term way and put an end to speculative development. It gives an opportunity to plan for the development we need across the whole canvas of the County rather than in a fragmented way through unsynchronised Local Plans.

It will be one of the first such plans to come forward across England, so the pressure is on to ensure it takes adequate account of our natural environment. The intention is to have the plan submitted by March 2020.

On Monday 24th September NNGO hosted an event to raise awareness of the JSSP and encourage our decision-makers to engage with local communities. Cllr Ian Hudspeth, Leader of Oxfordshire County Council, joined NNGO to discuss the JSSP and respond to questions from the audience.

Cllr Ian Hudspeth presentation can be viewed here: Cllr Ian Hudspeth presentation to NNGO Sept 18

In recent years, speculative developers have made hay across Oxfordshire when our local authorities have fallen foul of rules which say they have to be able to prove a 5 year supply of deliverable housing.  The Oxfordshire Growth Board is now looking to negotiate with Government to reduce the rules for Oxfordshire to a 3 year housing supply.   But this is only a short term measure and doesn’t address the longer-term impacts or the fundamental unfairness of making local authorities release more land, to the cost of particular communities and greenfield sites, when developers fail to build what they promise.

The opportunity to respond to consultation on the Oxfordshire Growth Board Three Year Housing Land Supply closed on 12 July 2018.
Read NNGO’s response: NNGO response to 3 Year Housing Land Supply Consultation July 18