Oxford's Green Belt - Grenoble Road
CLICK HERE FOR LATEST NEWS...
On 6 April 2009 the Government published its approved version of the South East Plan. While the Government reduced slightly its targets for house building in the region (32,700 new homes each year until 2026 rather than 33,250), housing totals in Oxfordshire remained as the Secretary of State first proposed at 55,200, including 4,000 in an urban extension south of the City or at Grenoble Road, as it has since come to be known.
The South East Plan included 8,000 homes for Oxford City, while the draft Plan proposed just 7,000.
The South East Plan said that Oxford 'will be allowed to grow physically and economically in order to accommodate its own needs' and it required a 'selective review' of the Green Belt South of Oxford to accommodate a mixed commercial/housing development, including 4,000 houses.
Oxford City Council claimed this land was needed to build 'at least' 4000 houses to satisfy the City's housing requirements. In fact as they accepted at the South East Inquiry, there is more than enough land available within the City to accommodate any conceivable need - but they never use land solely for housing but for "mixed development" of shops and offices, creating more jobs in a city where more jobs are not needed, sucking in yet more people and exacerbating rather than dealing with the housing shortage claimed to exist.
CPRE Oxfordshire is opposed to any review of the Oxford Green Belt and the Branch strongly objected to the proposed urban extension. We believe the City can address its future housing needs within its own boundaries.
South Oxfordshire District Council, the authority for the proposed urban extension site (PDF), also opposed the development.
Following a legal challenge to the South East Plan by CPRE Oxfordshire and others, in 2009, the Secretary of State conceded that insufficient consideration had been given to alternatives to the proposed urban extension in the Green Belt south of Grenoble Road. As a consequence, the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) announced major changes to the policies in the South East Plan removing all references to expansion into the Oxford Green Belt. The key changes were:
In July 2010 the Government abolished the Regional Spatial Strategies (RSS) and associated regional structures. As such, the South East Plan was revoked, along with the 4,000 house strategic development area south of Oxford.
While some Councils have taken this opportunity to revise the controversial housing numbers downwards in line with the draft South East Plan, Oxford City Council continued to propose 8,000 houses at the Examination in Public of its Core Strategy.
Following CPRE Oxfordshire's legal challenge, the Secretary of State issued a Consent Order in April 2010. CPRE has since agreed with the Treasury Solicitor the content for a Consent Order.
Below is the Master Plan for Grenoble Road based on a design by David Lock Associates submitted to the Examination in Public for the South East Plan.
The three main land owners for the proposed urban extension site are Magdalen College, Thames Water and Oxford City Council. The Council owns approximately 260 acres, or c. 105 hectares. There are also a number of smaller landowners.