Last week Cherwell District Council received confirmation from the Planning Inspectorate that their modified Local Plan Review appropriately delivers on its commitment to help address a shortfall in housing delivery in Oxfordshire.

LUC worked closely with the Council and its neighbours to ensure they planned a sustainable pattern of development and assessed its impact on the overall integrity of the Oxford Green Belt.

Our planners assessed nine broad areas of search and 42 site options in the early stages of the Sustainability Appraisal of the Local Plan Review. This led to the need to consider the harm of releasing Green Belt land on the integrity of the designation. Together, our Sustainability Appraisal and Green Belt Study formed an integral part of the District’s case for releasing Green Belt land in close proximity to Oxford.

Cherwell and its neighbours are to be congratulated for their commitment to the ‘duty to cooperate’ at a time of such uncertainty and change.

Read our comment piece, Releasing Green Belt land to deliver Oxfordshire homes.

Learn more about Strategic Planning & Assessment at LUC.