WODC Local Plan 2043 - Final Public Consultation

Mon 5 Oct, 20:51

The wodc 2043 plans and the Charlbury town charter may not be identical. The relevance is the fact that wodc can, will and do dismiss any and all of Charlbury people's concerns, beliefs and wishes off hand. This does include Charlburys town council, from where I'm standing i feel sorry for them, constantly working with one hand tied behind their backs.

It's the total and complete disregard of Charlbury as a whole that gets me.

Something else that gets me is why does wodc systems have so many glitches when you want to do something and then work perfectly well when they want something from you?

You'll have to read my post again and like i said sit back and watch this space.

I'm not saying don't lodge your complaints, comments or anything else, please carry on and do, if you can.

I'm saying print it off, screw it up ready for bonfire night, might as well get some pleasure out of it.

If you send me a private message I will send you a complete copy of the paperwork so you can see the ease of dismissal for yourself.

If i knew how to post it here I would.

Mon 5 Oct, 19:51

All that Gareth Davies says may be true. I simply don't know if there are plans to build a house on the town quarry site.

But his remarks are not relevant to the consultation on WODC's 2043 plan. In the plan the quarry is not put forward as a preferred development site for housing or, indeed, for any other type of development.  Charlbury town charter is not identical with the WODC 2043 plan.

People have until October 9th to register their objections to the plan. Please don't ignore this deadline if you wish to object. 

Mon 5 Oct, 13:11

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Wed 30 Sep, 09:19

In view of the difficulties that people are having submitting their comments by the deadline of 9 October 2026, would it not be fair, sensible, and reasonable to extend that deadline and to have another round of drop-in sessions with the Planning Policy Team?

Tue 29 Sep, 20:50

Thank you both! 

I've managed to submit my objection now, but I'm not sure I trust the website, so will be sending an email too! 

Tue 29 Sep, 18:57

I spent ages commenting on the plan using my Windows 11 laptop, but the website froze and everything was lost. What's more no comments are showing anywhere on the plan, so I decided against doing it that way again. I simply don't trust the website.

Instead, I downloaded the response form and filled it in and sent it in as a pdf file. The link is here But I found it difficult to identify the paragraph numbers, policy numbers etc. that they asked for.

I asked WODC Officers to let me know if I had filled it in an acceptable way, but they haven't come back to me. They have, however, said that my response has been safely received. 

Email is certainly the easiest option, but it's worth making sure that you've covered all the things they ask about in the response form. 

Tue 29 Sep, 16:50

Alex, I had the same trouble! 

If you are not able to directly comment on the document as it asks, you can email the team with your comments and they will add them to the system. 

the Email is address: planning.consultation@westoxon.gov.uk

please anybody who has not provided any feedback about the local plan, this is the last week to do so before it goes to full council for sign off and implementation. 

Tue 29 Sep, 13:33 (last edited on Tue 29 Sep, 14:05)

Is anyone else having trouble trying to comment on the plan? Apparently you can respond by clicking the yellow speech bubbles which I don't have on my mobile or laptop......there are yellow question marks which require name, email and consultee type which are needed to accept comments, but once you fill in those boxes and click submit, nothing happens and you are taken back to the page you were already on. 

Very confusing and not easy to actually make any comment whatsoever! 

**Update: After numerous attempts, it is now allowing me to comment on my mobile!

Thu 17 Sep, 10:56 (last edited on Thu 17 Sep, 10:59)

Last week at the event in Chipping Norton where officers were available to answer queries about the 2043 local plan, I asked if WODC officers could send me the document which showed which other sites in Charlbury had been considered for development. The document wasn't available at that event which was very well attended by people from Charlbury. 

I have now been sent a link to the document which is here

I think it makes interesting reading, and it's not altogether clear to me why the grounds for ruling out some of the sites did not also rule out the Jeffersons Piece development.

Objecting at this stage has to focus on whether the process of consultation was sound and legal, so it's very helpful to see the grounds on which other sites were eliminated. 

Sun 6 Sep, 21:00

Just a reminder for those that want a say on the shape of Charlbury's future of the next couple of decades! 

"This is the final stage of public consultation before the Local Plan is submitted for independent examination. At this stage, comments should focus on whether the Plan is legally compliant and whether it is considered sound.

To make it as easy as possible to have your say, we encourage everyone to submit their comments using our online consultation platform:

www.westoxon.gov.uk/localplan2043

Alternatively, representations can be submitted by:

Email: planning.consultation@westoxon.gov.uk

Post: Planning Policy Team, Council Offices, Woodgreen, Witney, OX28 1NB

Paper copies of the Draft Local Plan and supporting documents are available to view at the Council Offices and at deposit locations across the district.

Come along to one of our drop-in events

If you'd like to find out more or speak to members of the Planning Policy team, we're holding a series of drop-in events during the consultation:

Tuesday 1 September 2026 at Corn Exchange; Witney from 4-7pm

Wednesday 9 September 2026 at Town Hall; Carterton from 4.30-7.30pm

Thursday 10 September 2026 at Town Hall; Chipping Norton from 4-7pm

Sun 30 Aug, 00:43

Jefferson's Piece is unsuitable due to site constraints.

Woodstock Rd is unsuitable as it is too far to practically walk to the town centre

Land beyond Hydac is just about walkable to the centre if (& its a big if) pedestrian access to the site is sorted.

Other land areas need to be considered. Charlbury needs to develop in a more balanced (geographically) sense to allow easier (& practical) pedestrian journeys to the town centre. 

The fields immediately beyond the Enstone Rd allotments would fit the bill nicely.

Sat 29 Aug, 18:38

Thank you Liz.  I was scanning it for hope that we might have any influence over these wretched polluters!  Apart from preventing developers tipping waste into the rivers I couldn't find anything.  It was impressively positive on land nature recovery but I fear for our water environment on which everything else depends.

Sat 29 Aug, 14:41 (last edited on Sat 29 Aug, 14:42)

That is impressively eagle-eyed, Alice.  The correct number is the one in the policy.  Thanks for pointing this out - I will ask officers to amend the number in the water cycle study

Fri 28 Aug, 19:31

Looking at the water study report, the proposed housing numbers for Charlbury are 40 at Jeffersons Piece and 40 on land south of Hydac with 4 extant development permissions. That’s 84 houses. This is different from the Policy CH2 stated 30 dwellings at Jeffersons Piece, which is correct? The Charlbury…

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Fri 28 Aug, 17:06

Sam, I'm not a planner, so it's not up to me to suggest an alternative site. As we are in the Cotswolds National Landscape  area we don't have to have any additional housing, although we do clearly need more low-cost housing as well as housing suitable for the elderly and disabled.

I think there might well be alternative and better sites in Charlbury, but I can't remember seeing any discussion of them. WODC has asked us to consider whether the draft Plan has been prepared in line with legal requirements and whether it is ‘sound’ – including whether it is supported by evidence, deliverable and consistent with national planning policy.

But I don't see how Jefferson's Piece can be considered a "sound" proposal, given that it is a disaster in terms of the proposed road access through a housing estate with lots of young children who often play outside, as well as many elderly and also disabled people and their visiting carers. The parking on Jefferson's Piece and around The Green area is already overflowing and dangerous, given the narrow roads and the multiple 90 degree turns. 

The 2043 plan document says the site fits with the criteria for identifying sites for housing, "Providing the impact of additional traffic on existing dwellings is deemed acceptable. If access can be provided to the South, then the site seems like a logical extension to housing ...". I just don't see how the addition of c. 50 cars and the removal of c. 14 garages can be at all "acceptable" in terms of safety or community cohesion. And I am not sure that WODC has adequately considered what other sites in Charlbury might better satisfy the stated criteria. 

Fri 28 Aug, 11:15

Four Winds, Woodstock Rd

Rushy Bank

The land behind Hydac.

The field behind Jefferson’s Piece is tiny. There’s no access, except via the garages, which are all in use, the road infrastructure can’t be improved etc. 

Fri 28 Aug, 00:16

If not Jefferson's Piece then where else do you suggest these houses could be built? 

Thu 27 Aug, 14:58

Hear hear Christine!!

Thu 27 Aug, 14:53

Please don't follow Tony Morgan's advice, and please DO submit any objections to the 2043 Plan -- even if you feel that we are likely to be ignored once again. After approval by WODC, the plan will have to go to the Planning Inspector for approval, and if people haven't objected it will be easier for Charlbury residents to be ignored.

This is particularly true for those who think (as I do) that the proposal to build 30 houses at Jefferson's Piece will be an absolute disaster for those living on Jefferson's Piece, Elm Crescent, The Green, Chartwell Drive, Ditchley Road and perhaps also Kearsey Court and other nearby streets. Those living on Hundley Way will also be affected, even though car access will not be via Hundley Way. Those with lock-up garages at Jefferson's Piece will also be badly affected.

Unfortunately, there is no public consultation scheduled for Charlbury, even though we are classed as a Service Centre. The consultation in Witney is scheduled for September 1st which is very short notice, and at the moment the main road to Witney is closed. 

The consultation in Chipping Norton is scheduled for Thursday 10 September 2026, from 4 - 7 in the Town Hall, Chipping Norton. Again it's quite short notice, but people should try and go if they can. We need advice on how best to object to the legality and soundness of the plan.

Wed 26 Aug, 20:08

As WODC has consistently ignored the views of Charlbury residents there doesn’t seem much point in responding

Wed 26 Aug, 18:53

West Oxfordshire District Council has today launched the statutory consultation on the Draft West Oxfordshire Local Plan 2043.

This forms the shape that Charlbury will take over the next decade or so including transport, housing developments in the town and environmental strategies.

The consultation will run until 9 October 2026…

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