Joint Local Plan consultations
South Oxfordshire and Vale of White Horse District Councils have come together to work on a new Joint Local Plan to 2041. The Joint Local Plan will guide what kinds of new housing and jobs are needed and where they should go, informing planning application decisions for the districts.
How our communities helped us draft the plan
During the plan’s creation, we carried out three successful stages of public consultation, and were shortlisted for three national awards. We were Highly Commended at the Planning Awards 2024. You can read more about these in our summary of previous consultations.
Joint Local Plan 2041 Publication Period
After three years of preparation, we’re nearly at the stage that we submit the plan to the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government for examination by an independent Planning Inspector.
We published the plan for a six-week period under Regulation 19 of The Town and Country Planning (Local Planning) (England) Regulations 2012 between 1 October and 12 November 2024.
Please visit our Joint Local Plan 2041 Publication Period website for more details and to read the plan.
Joint Local Plan Preferred Options consultation
Between 10 January to 26 February 2024, we asked for community feedback on our preferred policy options and draft policies to address local challenges and unlock future opportunities across the two districts.
Using an innovative new engagement platform, respondents could share their thoughts through two surveys: the full Joint Local Plan Preferred Options Document; and the Joint Local Plan in a Nutshell, a quicker way to review the plan. You can still view the relevant surveys and documents on the consultation webpage, including the supporting documents such as the Sustainability Appraisal and Strategic Environmental Assessment, Habitats Regulations Assessment, topic papers and more.
We also prepared a Public Notice which provided details on this consultation and data protection.
To receive updates on the Joint Local Plan, including when we consult on the draft plan please register your details using our sign up form.
In person events
We held ten drop-in consultation events during January and February 2024. We also provided an interactive virtual exhibition as well as an accessible version of the exhibition (if you are on a mobile please use the link to the accessible version).
| Location | Date | Time | Venue |
| Sandford-on-Thames | Saturday 20 January 2024 | 1pm – 4pm | Sandford Village Hall, Henley Rd, OX4 4YN |
| Shippon | Wednesday 24 January 2024 | 3pm – 8pm | Shippon Village Hall, Barrow Rd, opposite Prince of Wales pub, OX13 6JQ |
| Wallingford | Thursday 25 January 2024 | 3pm – 8pm | Centre 70, Wallingford Community Association Hall, off Kinecroft, Goldsmiths Ln, OX10 0DT |
| Henley-on-Thames | Saturday 27 January 2024 | 11am – 4pm | Henley Town Hall, Market Pl, Henley RG9 2AG |
| Thame | Tuesday 30 January 2024 | 11am – 4pm | Candelo Lounge, 102 High St, Thame, OX9 3DU |
| Wantage | Wednesday 31 January 2024 | 11am – 4pm | The Beacon, Community Centre, Portway, Wantage OX12 9BX |
| Abingdon | Saturday 3 February 2024 | 11am – 4pm | Pablo Lounge, Abbey Shopping Centre, 1-3 Bury Street, Abingdon, OX14 3QY |
| Crowmarsh | Monday 5 February 2024 | 11am – 4pm | Crowmarsh Pavilion, Recreation Ground, Bellamy Way, Crowmarsh Gifford, OX10 8FN |
| Faringdon | Tuesday 6 February 2024 | 11am – 1:30pm 1:30pm – 4pm | Faringdon Town Council, The Pump House, 5 Market Place, Faringdon SN7 7HL The Old Crown Coaching Inn, 25 Market Place, Faringdon SN7 7HU |
| Didcot | Saturday 10 February 2024 | 11am – 4pm | Berro Lounge, Orchard Shopping Centre, 44 Orchard St, Didcot, OX11 7LG |
What you told us
After the consultation, we analysed the responses and set out how they shaped the emerging plan:
- Preferred Options Consultation Statement
- Preferred Options Consultation Statement – Appendices
You can also read all the responses in full: - Preferred Options Consultation Responses
- Preferred Options “Joint Local Plan In a Nutshell” Consultation Responses
Joint Local Plan Issues Consultation
In May 2022, we carried out a public consultation asking for your thoughts on the main issues facing our districts and how we could use the Joint Local Plan to address them. To do this, we launched an innovative new interactive website for our consultation, with interactive maps, a video and images. It was designed to work on a tablet, computer or mobile phone, although for those who prefer a more traditional document, there was also a PDF version of the Joint Local Plan Issues consultation.
We also consulted on other documents alongside the Joint Local Plan Issues consultation – these were:
- Sustainability Appraisal (SA) Screening and Scoping Report
- Habitats Regulations Assessment (HRA) Scoping Report
- Draft Settlement Assessment Methodology
- Duty to Cooperate Scoping Document
We also prepared:
- A Public Notice – which provides details on this consultation and data protection, and
- An Equalities Impact Screening Report
What you told us
Our Joint Local Plan Issues consultation was open from 12 May until 23 June 2022. After this, we analysed the responses and shared what you told us.
To show the results, we made some updates to our interactive Issues Consultation website. As you explore this interactive website you will see snapshots of the results and links to the full consultation results document for further details.
We also produced a full ‘Issues Consultation Results’ document here if you prefer a more traditional document format.
You can view full copies of the responses we received to the Issues Consultation by visiting the Joint Local Plan Regulation 18 Part 1 Response Library List.
Call for Land and Buildings Available for Change
Between 19 August and 30 September 2021 we invited landowners, agents, developers, community groups and others who were interested in having land considered for development, to submit information to the Councils on the sites they wanted to be assessed as part of the Joint Local Plan. Submissions made through this exercise supplement sites previously submitted as part of the Vale of White Horse Call for Sites which took place in 2020.
The boundaries of the land and buildings submitted as part of these exercises, along with some high level information about these sites, can be found on our interactive Call for Land and Buildings Available for Change webpage.
Playing Pitch Strategy and Leisure Facilities Assessment and Strategy
We consulted on our draft Leisure Facilities Assessment and Strategy (LFAS) and Playing Pitch Strategy (PPS) between 13 March and 24 April 2024. These set out our leisure and playing pitch needs to 2041 focusing on protecting, enhancing and providing pitches and facilities.
The PPS covers pitch sports including football, rugby, cricket and hockey. The LFAS covers leisure facilities including but not limited to sports halls, swimming pools, tennis courts and multi-use games areas.
Consultation documents (consultation closed)
- South Oxfordshire Leisure Facilities Strategy and Action Plan
- Vale of White Horse Leisure Facilities Assessment Strategy and Action Plan
- South Oxfordshire Playing Pitch Strategy (PPS)
- Vale of White Horse Playing Pitch Strategy (PPS)
What happens next
We are now reviewing responses to the consultation and will make any necessary changes to the strategies. We will then produce a report to our Scrutiny Committee and Cabinet in the Autumn of 2024 to consider whether the council should adopt the strategies as a tool for identifying what new leisure facilities and playing pitches are needed in our district.
Landscape Character Assessment
To support our work for the emerging Joint Local Plan, we prepared a new Landscape Character Assessment. This study was being carried out by environmental consultancy Land Use Consultants (LUC) on behalf of both South Oxfordshire and Vale of White Horse District Councils.
As part of this study, we called for residents, businesses and visitors to share what you love about our local landscapes and what you think is changing them through a consultation held in autumn 2023. Find out more about the study from our press release (18 August 2023).
Keep up to date with the latest Joint Local Plan news:
If you’d like to receive planning policy consultations and updates (including those about the Joint Local Plan and Supplementary Planning Documents) and/or general council consultation notifications, please register your details using our sign up form.
