Creating a positive future for Oxfordshire
13th December 2018
We need you to join us in our work towards a positive future for rural Oxfordshire!
At this critical moment for the County, please help us raise £5,000 to develop and launch a Manifesto reflecting our Vision for Rural Oxfordshire 2050.
With so much discussion presently centred on the Oxford-Cambridge Growth Corridor and Expressway, the only future for Oxfordshire would seem to be one in which economic development and acres of concrete are the only answer to every question.
The Expressway itself would be immensely damaging, whichever route is chosen, and the intention is for it to unleash a wave of development to the tune of over 300,000 new houses – the equivalent of 21 new Bicesters or 4 new Oxfords – by 2050!
We believe in an alternative future – one that puts Oxfordshire’s rural character first and at the heart of its environmental, economic and social well-being.
Over the next 18 months our local councils are joining forces to produce the Oxfordshire Joint Statutory Spatial Plan (JSSP) which will set out the development framework for the County through to 2050.
This will give us a vital opportunity to influence their deliberations and help us ensure robust policies are in place to protect our countryside, so that our villages and market towns are vibrant and thriving places in which to live.
CPRE Oxfordshire wants every one of the decision-makers involved in this process to hear our message loud and clear: local people value Oxfordshire’s rural character and don’t want it destroyed by massive development.
Our aim is to develop a comprehensive, written ‘manifesto’ to be launched early next year, taking into account the Oxfordshire Joint Statutory Spatial Plan and other decision-making processes.
Please help us achieve this. Make a donation – we urgently need to raise at least £5,000 to support our work and hope to apply for match funding. Any amount you can contribute would be much appreciated. Your help really matters.
Here are some of the priorities we are already discussing with local decision-makers on a daily basis. In particular, we are asking them to:
Engage with local people and their concerns in depth, rather than conducting mere tick-box consultations
Make a clear distinction between houses needed to meet natural expansion and those intended to fulfil notional, top-down-imposed growth targets
Set clear parameters for prioritising development of urban brownfield sites, with the ‘exceptional circumstances’ requirement for building in Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty and the Oxford Green Belt being strictly enforced
Prioritise high quality, high density housing developments that are genuinely affordable and supported by appropriate infrastructure
Deliver development that meets the ‘environmental net gain’ ambition of the Government’s 25-Year Environment Plan and help us meet climate change targets
Your support will enable us to set out our stall and gain widespread recognition for a vision of Oxfordshire, with its rural character preserved and enhanced.
Visit the CPRE Oxfordshire Just Giving page to make a donation – thank you!