The next steps for our Joint Local Plan

After three years of preparation, our draft Joint Local Plan is nearly at the stage we submit it for examination to the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government.

What is a Local Plan?

A Local Plan looks ahead fifteen years and plans how much development is needed in an area, like new homes, jobs, roads and schools, and where they should go. It also sets standards for environmental protection, sustainability, water quality and much more.

At South Oxfordshire and Vale of White Horse District Councils we are working together to produce a new Joint Local Plan for both districts. While preparing the plan, we carried out two rounds of public consultation, which you can read about further down this page.

What’s happening now?

Prior to submitting the plan, we are publishing it for representations for a six-week period under Regulation 19 of The Town and Country Planning (Local Planning) (England) Regulations 2012.

You can read the plan and various supporting documents that have informed the plan or accompany the plan by using the navigation links below. Once you have read the plan and any relevant supporting documents, you can provide a response by clicking the Comment Now link below.

• Joint Local Plan 2041 (Publication Version)

• Interactive Policies Map 
• Policies Map Download version – South Oxfordshire
• Policies Map Download version – Vale of White Horse
• Policies Map Additional Policies Booklet 
• Sustainability Appraisal and Strategic Environmental Assessment Report (if you would like accessible versions of this report's appendices, head to our Supporting Documents page)
• Habitats Regulations Assessment – Preliminary Screening Report
• Habitats Regulations Assessment – Appendix: Screening Matrix
• Preferred Options Consultation Statement
• Preferred Options Consultation Statement – Appendices
• Preferred Options Consultation Responses
• Preferred Options "Joint Local Plan In a Nutshell" Consultation Responses
• Statement of Compliance with the Duty to Co-operate
• Equalities Impact Assessment
• Health Impact Assessment – Scoping Report
• Health Impact Assessment – Policy Appraisal Tables
• Infrastructure Delivery Plan

There are paper copies of core publication documents available in all public libraries across South Oxfordshire and the Vale of White Horse, and at Abbey House in Abingdon, The Beacon in Wantage, and in Cornerstone Arts Centre and Great Western Park District Neighbourhood Community Centre in Didcot. 

Supporting documents, evidence base and topic papers

You can also read our supporting documents, evidence base and topic papers here - this link will take you to another webpage. 

Your representations

Please be aware, that this is a technical stage of the local plan process, and your comments will be sent to a Planning Inspector who will be appointed by the government. The Inspector will be considering whether the plan is sound, legally compliant, and whether it meets the duty to cooperate with neighbouring authorities.

To explain what this means in a bit more detail, we have created a useful guide to the process, which should also help you make sure your comments are as effective as possible. The deadline for comments is 11.59pm on Tuesday 12 November 2024.

COMMENT NOW

You can see how we will handle your data in our privacy policy.

How our communities helped us draft the plan

During the plan’s creation, we carried out two successful stages of public consultation, both of which were shortlisted for national awards, with the second being Highly Commended at the Planning Awards 2024. You can read more about these in our summary of previous consultations.