West Oxfordshire District Council (WODC) has made public an update on the West Oxfordshire Local Plan 2041 (WOLP 2041) consultation, which includes a list of all land parcels put forward across West Oxfordshire for potential development in response to an invitation by WODC. This includes at least 12 sites (primarily residential but also business, sport and solar sites) within the North Leigh Parish boundary.
It is important to emphasise that this is just a list of sites put forward by landowners and developers with currently no filter applied, it is NOT a list of accepted development sites and it is NOT a list of planning applications put forward. However we must remain vigilant.
The progress of the Local Plan, including the outcome of the second public consultation phase in 2023 and the revised timetable for taking the plan through to adoption will be discussed at a meeting of the WODC Executive at 2pm on 14th February 2024 in Chipping Norton Town Hall, it will be livestreamed on the following link https://westoxon.public-i.tv/core/portal/webcast_interactive/844227 and this link will be available for viewing after the event, and a link to the papers can be seen here https://meetings.westoxon.gov.uk/documents/g2258/Public%20reports%20pack%2014th-Feb-2024%2014.00%20Executive.pdf?T=10. (Summary p.13 to p.84 and Full List of Sites p. 84 to 98).
Now that the “long list” of sites for West Oxfordshire has been published, the next step is a consultation phase which commences in mid-February 2024 for a period of several months during which the Town and Parish Councils (but not individual residents) can give feedback on each of the sites to WODC. As a village that has experienced housing growth of nearly 40% in the last 6 years, the North Leigh Parish Council strongly opposes more development in North Leigh Parish and will endeavour to give a robust defence against each site put forward on behalf of the residents.
To provide as much detailed information as possible in our response to WODC, the North Leigh Parish Council Planning Committee will be inviting residents to come and make their views known, on the North Leigh Parish sites put forward, at several Parish meetings in February/March. We will also be inviting residents to write to us to express their views via Allison our Clerk at parishclerk@northleighparishcouncil.gov.uk and we will incorporate these comments into our response.
After this consultation phase, WODC will be narrowing down the list of sites to a shortlist. A substantial number of sites around West Oxfordshire have been put forward but not all of them are needed to demonstrate a housing land supply to 2041 nor are all of the sites suitable. WODC will be determining suitable sites based on whichever of the 8 development options from Phase 2 is chosen, they will also be looking at an update of the Strategic Housing and Economic Land Assessment Report SHELAA (2016) and also taking into account the comments from Town and Parish Councils.
We understand that residents will then have the opportunity to comment directly on the shortlist of sites in Summer 2024.
North Leigh Parish Council Planning Committee has already made it clear to WODC that our Parish has taken substantial planning relative to other villages https://northleighparishcouncil.gov.uk/2023/11/30/timing-and-process-for-commenting-on-the-west-oxfordshire-local-plan-wolp-2041/ Please know that your Parish Council will strongly oppose these sites at every stage and we aim to minimize the eventual number of sites adopted in the WOLP 2041 by WODC for North Leigh Parish.
For the dates of Planning Committee meetings for residents to discuss land sites, for comment deadline dates and for further updates on WOLP 2041, please sign up to the Parish Council’s mailing list on the North Leigh Parish Council Website www.northleighparishcouncil.gov.uk or follow the North Leigh Parish Council Facebook Page (there is a link at the top of this page).