Helping Oxford meet its housing need

Many people are expressing their concerns over the Post SHMA Programme Report in the agenda for Oxfordshire Growth Board for Monday’s meeting. 

If you had your ear to the ground during the Vale Local Plan examination, you’ll remember that it was a close call as to whether Vale had done all it could to satisfy its Duty to Cooperate over helping Oxford meet its housing need. This report details the work that has been done on that issue. 

Here’s a nutshell:

The total number of houses needed to fulfil Oxford’s unmet need has been set at about 15,000. This obligation has been apportioned to the surrounding districts at last. Vale is to provide 2200, a lower figure than the approximately 3000 we expected. (Amusingly, Oxford City has been apportioned with 500. That makes no sense to me. Why is this considered to be part of city’s unmet need, if city are meeting it?)

This report makes clear that the allocation of specific sites upon which these 2200 houses will be developed are the responsibility of the districts themselves and their Local Plan processes. (The maps you see with various allocations are intended to be helpful suggestions.) That process is yet to come. This is an apportionment of total numbers, not an allocation of any specific sites. 

The bottom line is that Vale have to take 2200 houses, and the site allocations will be part of the Local Plan process with complete public consultation.

I wanted to let you know. 

The Growth Board meeting is open to the public. Monday 26th Sept 2-4pm at County Hall in Oxford City centre.