Charlbury 2043 Draft Plan

Wed 19 Aug, 17:10

I will suggest that to officers, Peter

Wed 19 Aug, 14:39

A callout to Liz Leffman & Andy Graham as our local District Councillors:  As part of the public consultation on the draft Local Plan 2043, Charlbury Street Fair on Saturday 19th September could offer an excellent opportunity for WODC to engage with the residents of Charlbury to explain details of the plan, to hear their views and to answer their questions.

Mon 17 Aug, 13:13

I defer entirely to your better judgement, Rod, while remaining grateful to Tony for his support.  

Mon 17 Aug, 12:22 (last edited on Mon 17 Aug, 12:24)

Sorry, I have to leap to my former colleagues' defence!  A Planning Inspector only becomes involved at the Examination stage of the plan process not at this consultation stage, which is entirely WODC led.  The decision Paul refers to was also made by WODC.  If they had refused the application, it might then have gone to appeal before an inspector.

The Jefferson's Piece site was deleted from the proposals in the present Local Plan (along with others at Burford and Stonesfield) as the Inspector examining it was not satisfied of the need for them at that time.  Our own Neighbourhood Plan was 'made' later and dare I suggest a useful starting point if you want to comment on the new proposals would be to read the Housing chapter and Appendix A (or at least its conclusions unless you need a cure for insomnia!).  

I haven't yet looked at the current proposals but have little doubt the local need for affordable - in the widest sense - housing remains.

Mon 17 Aug, 10:35

Well said Paul

Mon 17 Aug, 10:27

As the most contentious of local developments was not long ago approved, against the majority opposition registered on the WODC council website, against the Charlbury Neighbourhood Plan, and despite the opposition of Charlbury council, it’s quite hard to believe that the planning inspector has the slightest interest in the views of those who live here.

Sun 16 Aug, 22:27

Emily, I was at that meeting and I would prefer no housing, but if the option was 3 or 4 eco homes over 30 in the field that is currently proposed in the draft local plan. That would be my preference.

We have a home in Charlbury and not looking to move any time soon, my family love where we live. 

I am just trying to highlight the fact that we as a community have the chance to have a say in the future developments in Charlbury to ensure that it's the best for town  and it's residents as this local plan shapes Charlbury for the next decade or so. 

Sun 16 Aug, 21:16

Chris, you say you’re open to more housing but have ruled out all the current plans, including one that is 50% affordable and social housing!

I also find your view to be somewhat hypocritical given that you were quite happy to have “eco houses” in the field behind Jefferson’s Piece as long as one of the houses was yours and also quite happy to use Hundley Way as an access point, should the residents up the lane let you, which they declined to. 

Sun 16 Aug, 19:15

Chris the flats you refer to on nice acres being empty for years are going through planning and will very soon be rebuilt and filled. It’s a long process to move out the tenants of such a building by finding suitable accommodation for them. Then as we know planning takes an age.  https://publicaccess.westoxon.gov.uk/online-applications/applicationDetails.do?keyVal=THDT6IRKN2O00&activeTab=summary

Sun 16 Aug, 09:34

The public consultation on 26 August is an important opportunity for the Charlbury community to have its say on the developments that could shape the town over the next decade.

Nobody is suggesting that Charlbury does not need additional housing. However, there are serious questions about the location, suitability and…

Long post - click to read full text

Sun 2 Aug, 09:10 (last edited on Sun 2 Aug, 09:20)

It is a draft which is going out for consultation. The consultation will start on August 26th and run for 6 weeks.  So you can have your say on this and the comments will then go to the inspector who will assess the plan before it is adopted and the sites are agreed.  

Sat 1 Aug, 20:00

It is disappointing Christine. 

The residents of Hundley Way had a meeting last year when the owner of the land sold it to a local resident who wanted to a build a few "eco-homes" on the land. Given that the Lagan Homes has the option on the field, they are wanting to build more than a few homes. Liz Leffman attended along with the new owner and neighbours of the field. Liz said that given where the field is located, it was unlikely any development would take place.

Obviously, her LD colleague Andy Graham has other ideas.

I'm not against development in Charlbury; there drastically needs to be more affordable homes and social housing, but the field by Jefferson's Piece is ridiculous place to put a development. Not only for the current residents and wildflife but future residents. 

Sat 1 Aug, 18:27 (last edited on Sat 1 Aug, 18:27)

I have today received by email a message from West Oxfordshire District Council giving a link to their agreed draft plan for our area (up to the year 2043).

This still includes (to my dismay) plans to build 30 houses at Jefferson's Piece. 

Plans for 40 houses south of Hydac in Charlbury are also included, but it's the inclusion of the Jefferson Piece housing that I find particularly upsetting. There were so many recent and powerful objections to the plan that I thought it had been ruled out. 

In case you haven't received the email, you can access the full plan  here