Archive for December 2025
Why Is Cherwell Under Pressure to Approve So Many Houses — And Why Isn’t It Working?
There has been widespread confusion and growing frustration across Cherwell about housing numbers: how many new homes are actually needed, why large developments are being approved outside local plans, and why councils are still judged to be “failing” on housing delivery despite thousands of permissions already being granted. CPRE Oxfordshire has been examining the situation…
Read MoreProposed Planning Reforms Raise Serious Concerns for Oxfordshire’s Countryside
A revised version of the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) was issued for consultation on 16th December and we are just starting to review this document. The consultation, which runs until 10 March 2026, can be found here. CPRE Head Office have issued a summary of the key changes at a national level which can be…
Read MoreIllegal Dumping at Cherwell: A National Failure of Waste Regulation
The scale of the illegal waste dump at Cherwell has rightly alarmed local residents and environmental groups. This is not just a serious case of environmental damage in one place, but a clear example of wider failures in waste regulation, environmental protection and joined-up infrastructure planning across England. A serious threat to the river The…
Read More“Victory for Common Sense” as Inspector Confirms Site is Not “Grey Belt”
The communities of Waterstock and surrounding villages are celebrating after the Planning Inspector dismissed a major proposal to build a vast Science and Technology Park on the Waterstock Golf Club site, setting a strong precedent for future applications in the Green Belt which is under increasing threat from the new ‘grey belt’ definition. The decision…
Read More