Your views on the Berinsfield Regeneration Strategy

Closes 6 Feb 2025

Opened 9 Jan 2025

Contact

Garden Communities

07917 088360

berinsfieldgv@southandvale.gov.uk

Overview

We want to hear from residents with their thoughts on the Berinsfield Regeneration Strategy. Your feedback is important to us, as it will help us guide and inform development proposals for Land at Mount Farm and ensure regeneration opportunities are maximised to deliver real improvement for the existing village.

As you might know from previous community engagement, the district council has developed a vision for 'Berinsfield Garden Village' which it intends to achieve by promoting initiatives that support the regeneration of the area and help address local needs. As part of this effort, a proposal to develop land to the east of the village (formally known as 'Mount Farm') has been included in the adopted South Oxfordshire Local Plan 2035 and the emerging South Oxfordshire and Vale of White Horse Joint Local Plans 2041. The Local Plan allocation comprises the development of approximately 1,700 new homes by the landowner, and at least five hectares of additional land dedicated to employment, supporting services and other facilities.

The proposed housing development will need to deliver a range of new infrastructure to ensure it has a minimal impact on the local community and existing services and infrastructure (e.g. health, leisure, education and transport provision). The anticipated infrastructure requirement is set out in the council's Infrastructure Delivery Plan, and the actual deliverables will be set out in a Section 106 Agreement (S106) between the applicant and the Councils (including Oxfordshire County Council). These agreements would be put in place as part of any future planning application process.

What is a Section 106 Agreement?

This is a legal agreement between a developer and the Local Planning Authority (and any other relevant parties) which requires the former to contribute towards infrastructure (such as roads, footways etc) and services (such as community facilities and public open space) through:

  1. Direct financial contributions.
  2. Use of restrictions to ensure the land is used for specific purposes (i.e. affordable housing or employment).
  3. Infrastructure provision, to ensure the development has access to essential services (i.e. health, education and recreational facilities).
  4. Direct delivery of appropriate transport measures/schemes.

The land at Mount Farm was released from the Green Belt for development subject to it contributing to the regeneration of the existing village of Berinsfield. This means that in addition to the landowner having to adhere to the S106 Agreement to fund or directly provide infrastructure and services for the new housing at Mount Farm, there is the opportunity to secure additional funding towards the regeneration of the existing village. 

In advance of a planning application for the Mount Farm land, the aim of the Berinsfield Regeneration Strategy is to outline the priorities for the regeneration of the existing village. These are grouped into wider themes (i.e. Community Infrastructure, Health). We would like to hear your feedback on our suggested priorities for each theme to inform the Regeneration Strategy. These suggested priorities are based on evidence collected through previous stages of consultation and engagement. 

By providing your comments you will contribute to shaping the Berinsfield Regeneration Strategy, which in turn will ensure that funding from the development of Mount Farm is invested in residents' priorities to achieve the change they require in Berinsfield.

This consultation is open for four weeks and will close at 11.59pm on Thursday 6 February 2025.

What happens next

Following the end of this consultation, the council will consider its findings. A Regeneration Strategy document will then be produced and informed by what you have told us. The findings of the consultation will be summarised in a report, which will be published on the Berinsfield Garden Village webpage.

The Regeneration Strategy, once complete, will be used to inform ongoing work with the land developer and reinforce the regeneration package requirements as part of the Local Plan and planning application processes.

We expect the consultation report and the Berinsfield Regeneration Strategy to be available in Spring 2025.

We cannot guarantee that the development at Mount Farm will come forward, nor can we guarantee exactly what will be delivered as part of that (or any other) development. Nonetheless, in undertaking this work we can ensure that we listen to your latest thoughts about what you consider necessary and, most importantly, do our best to advocate for those things as part of the regeneration package.

Personal data

If you are responding as an individual/member of the public, we will not ask for your name or any contact details. You also do not have to answer any questions that you do not want to. Any personal information you provide to the council within your comments that could identify you will not be published.

If you are responding as a parish or a district councillor, we ask you to provide the name of your council. If you are responding on behalf of a neighbouring local authority, a voluntary sector or business organisation, we ask you to provide its name - the summary report will include this information. Further information on data protection is available in our privacy statement.

  

Your views on the Berinsfield Regeneration Strategy

Click here to start

Areas

  • Berinsfield

Audiences

  • General Public