Oxford City Local Plan 2042

Oxford City Council are undertaking an “Early engagement Survey” in advance of the formal consultation, expected in June 2025, on their new Local Plan for the city named Oxford Local Plan 2042.

While the survey covers many of the areas CPRE would like to see, in particular consultation on a policy to allow housing on land currently reserved for employment, the survey is restricted in its scope and does not allow for any free text responses. We consider the survey is not a suitable replacement for an Issues Consultation which usually underpins the writing of a new Local Plan and was last done 4 years ago. Much has moved on since the last Issues Consultation 2021 and results. 

CPRE thinks it is important to capture residents’ views more broadly than is possible on the early engagement survey and asks our supporters to send an email to planningpolicy@oxford.gov.uk by 28th April with the key messages of what we think is important for the future of Oxford up to 2042.

Here are some of the key issues CPRE suggests that you might include, ideally in your own words: 

1. Protect Oxford’s green lungs

Green spaces in the city provide multiple benefits and must be protected, interconnected, and increased in line with the planned 30% increase in population.

• The Local Plan should use the recent Local Nature Recovery Strategy consultation results as an evidence base
• Greater protection of key green spaces should be given using Local Green Space Designation on the new Local Plan. 
• Construction should be restricted to brownfield sites, including repurposing of empty retail and office space. Wirral Council has just adopted a brownfield only Local Plan, believed to be the first approved in the country.

2. The right balance of new homes and jobs

• The plan should prioritise homes to meet Oxford’s current needs over new jobs in a city with full employment. CPRE estimates that the amount of space in the city currently set aside for new office and lab space is sufficient for 60,000 jobs. This occupies brownfield land that could be used for housing, pushing new housing onto the city’s dwindling green spaces,  and massively increases housing demand, keeping house prices high.

3. The right types of homes

• New homes, sufficient to meet local need, should be at genuinely and permanently affordable social rents. This is possible by using, Community Land Trusts (which are not subject to right to buy) to provide new housing in the city. 

4. Future-proofing the city

• Oxford’s flood plains are key to flood protection as our winters become warmer and wetter and extreme weather events increase. They should be restored rather than built over. e.g.: Oxpens, Osney Mead and warehousing on the Botley Road flood plain.
• Oxford’s sewage infrastructure is not able to cope and polluting our rivers. Until recently the Environment Agency opposed all new development until the sewage treatment works could be upgraded. 
• All new development, including supporting infrastructure should be zero carbon in construction and operation if the county and the UK are to meet their zero carbon budgets.

If you don’t have time to email but can spare a few minutes, do complete the Early Engagement Survey. There are just 15 questions, several of which capture location and profiling details.

The key questions to answer are:

• Questions 5-8, which we would ask you to “Strongly agree” with, and
• Questions 9-10, which we would ask you to mark as “Very important”

CPRE will be responding to this consultation and lobbying the planning department and councillors with our key views, but additional support from our supporters also emailing in their views will carry weight.

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