West Oxfordshire Local Plan 2043
- Gordon Elliot
- 9 hours ago
- 2 min read
The draft of the West Oxfordshire Local Plan 2043 is now available online. It sets out WODC's ideas on how our area should develop over the next 15 years. There will be an opportunity to comment on it during a consultation period runnng through August to mid-September. The intention is that it will be submitted to the government's planning inspectorate around the end of the year with a view to it being approved sometime next year. It will then be the guiding principle by which future development plans are considered.
You can view the draft plan via the link below. To view the section concerning Burford, go to the table of contents, scroll down to section 8.5 "Burford Area Strategy" and click there. To get to the heart of the recommendations for the site on the south side of Sheep Street, go to Policy BU 3 and click there.
The key passage summarising the view of the drafters of the plan is set out below. Remember this is just a draft and you will have a chance to comment on the plan and influence its final form during the consultation period.
Link to the draft plan
The key findings:
Taking account of the responses received and further evidence and analysis, the Council
remains of the view that the land south of Sheep Street is suitable for accommodating future housing growth as a logical extension of the existing built area but that the quantum of development should be reduced significantly to around 30 dwellings to take account of the acknowledged sensitivities of the site.
Policy BU3 – Land South of Sheep Street, Burford
Policy BU3 allocates the land south of Sheep Street for a residential-led development of up to 30 dwellings, including affordable housing, together with a new public car park, public
open space, green infrastructure, biodiversity enhancements and associated infrastructure. The allocation has been identified as a suitable location for modest and proportionate growth that can help meet local housing needs whilst supporting Burford's continued role as a service centre and visitor destination.
The site adjoins the existing built-up area and offers an opportunity to deliver a high-quality, landscape-led development that responds positively to the town's historic character, its location within the Cotswolds National Landscape and the sensitivities of the surrounding environment.
A key element of the allocation is the provision of a new public car park to help address
longstanding parking pressures within the town centre and support the effective management of visitor activity. Together with improvements to walking and cycling connectivity, this has the potential to enhance accessibility, reduce pressure on existing parking provision and contribute towards a more attractive and sustainable town centre environment.
I’m not clear if this post is sharing information on the plan, or actively commending it - if it is the latter I think that is at odds with the position taken by our town council and our district councillor, both of which I understood to be less persuaded of a scheme which will see the bucolic countryside around Burford covered in tarmac and concrete.