Local Plan 2041 - preparation of a new plan
Sign up to the Local Plan databaseIntroduction
To make sure that our planning policies and proposals are up to date and effectively tackle vital issues such as climate change, health and wellbeing, housing and the economy, we are preparing a new Local Plan covering the period up to 2041.
The following key dates for drawing up the new Local Plan are expected to apply:
- Initial scoping consultation (Regulation 18): August – October 2022 (COMPLETE)
- Focused consultation on draft plan objectives, pattern of development and call for ideas, opportunities and sites (Regulation 18): August – October 2023 (COMPLETE)
- Consultation on preferred policy options (Regulation 18): May 2025
- Publication of pre-submission draft Local Plan (Regulation 19): October 2025
- Submission for independent examination: March 2026
- Examination and adoption: 2026
Initial scoping consultation (August – October 2022)
The first step was an initial ‘scoping’ consultation which we ran from 24 August – 5 October 2022 to seek early views on what main topics the new Local Plan should cover.
A copy of the consultation document is available to download below.
Your Voice Counts Consultation Document August 2022 - pdf - 2.52 Mb
The consultation was very successful with over 5,000 visitors to our website, 441 respondents and 1,143 contributions being made.
The report below provides a summary overview of the responses received and the main issues raised by respondents.
Focused consultation on ideas and objectives (August – October 2023)
Building on the feedback received to our initial consultation last year, we ran an 8-week focused consultation from 30 August – 25 October 2023 based around 3 particular elements:
- Draft local plan objectives – a series of draft objectives which are intended to guide the future evolution of the plan in terms of its overall approach and anticipated policy content;
- The future pattern of development in West Oxfordshire – different scenarios for how and where we might look to focus future growth in the period up to 2041;
- Call for sites, ideas and opportunities – an open invitation for stakeholders to put forward their thoughts on how land in the district might be used in the future such as new housing, employment, infrastructure, community use, green space, nature recovery and renewable energy.
For ease of reference, a copy of the focused consultation document is available to download in PDF format below.
We received a good level of response to the consultation with around 2,000 comments from 450 individuals and organisations.
The report below provides a summary overview of the responses received and the main issues raised by respondents.
All comments and details of respondents will be added to the council’s online consultation system, CitizenLab, on your behalf. View our full privacy policy here.
Supporting evidence
To help shape the new Local Plan we will draw on existing evidence and commission new studies as appropriate. The list of documents below will be added to as new evidence becomes available.
Habitat Regulations Assessment – In Progress
Local Housing Needs Assessment – In Progress
Housing and Economic Land Availability Assessment (HELAA) – In Progress
Gypsy and Traveller Accommodation Assessment – In Progress
Viability Assessment – In Progress
Economic Needs Assessment – In Progress
Infrastructure Delivery Plan – In Progress
Health and Equality Impact Assessment – In Progress
Settlement Sustainability Report – In Progress
Carterton Strategic Study – In Progress
What happens next?
Taking into account the responses received to our two previous consultations, emerging evidence and expected changes to national policy, we intend to further consult on a series of preferred policy options in May 2025.
This will help to inform a final draft of the new Local Plan which will be published for comment in October 2025 before being submitted for independent examination in March 2026. We are aiming to adopt the new Local Plan in late 2026.