Chapter 2: Plan Vision and Objectives

Our Vision for Cherwell 2040

• We achieve our climate action targets. Our energy production will be sustainable and new developments are built to high energy efficient standards.
• There is a choice of well-designed market and affordable homes to meet our needs and neighbourhoods are sustainable, healthy, vibrant and cohesive communities, that promote good health, wellbeing and equality. They respond positively to their local social and natural context and seek to address the challenges of our growing and ageing communities.
• Working with our partners, investment in social and physical infrastructure related to development is timely. Residents of new development have convenient access to excellent health, education, open space, sport and recreational activities when and where they need it. The Plan has helped to reduce inequalities in health, along with poverty and social inclusion and supported well-being. Poverty and social exclusion have been reduced.
• The Plan has supported a sustainable, flexible and resilient economy that is vibrant, inclusive with good transport links and sound infrastructure, supported by excellent educational facilities to foster the workforce skills required for the future. The economy has grown to provide more diverse employment for our increasing population and reduce the need for our residents to travel outside the district for work.
• Our urban areas will build on their ongoing economic success, take full advantage of new technologies and the green economy and by sharing knowledge and common resources to take an important role in the regional and national economy.
• Cherwell continues to be a caring place known for fostering and retaining young talent, attracting business and investment and reducing poverty and social isolation.
• Our distinctive natural and built environment and our rich historic heritage is cherished, protected and enhanced. Cherwell maintains its rural character where its landscapes, its vast range of natural and built heritage and its market towns define its distinctiveness.
• The district’s biodiversity resource is enhanced. Our natural environment is more diverse. Social, economic and ecological resilience provides the capacity to adapt to change, including minimising flood risk. Our heritage assets, visitor economy and vibrant cultural offer are further enhanced with improved access.
• Banbury, Bicester and Kidlington have re-shaped and adapted with an improved public realm and a greater mix of uses to maintain their roles as attractive, vibrant, retail, cultural and social centres for our communities and visitors.
• Heyford Park and other areas of planned growth benefit from enhanced community facilities, sustainable transport links and other infrastructure investment required to support their existing and new neighbourhoods.
• Our rural communities are realising their potential by making the most of new technologies, supported by small business growth and transport services that are more responsive to their needs. New rural models of transport and service provision complement existing services for a more sustainable and well-connected (including digital) rural living. Our villages are places where communities thrive, as well as benefitting from being well connected to our towns, and major employment and service centres.

Question 4: Do you have any comments on the draft Vision?

Strategic Objectives

Theme One - Meeting the Challenge of Climate Change and Ensuring Sustainable Development

SO 1: Promote net-zero carbon new developments, with high sustainable construction standards, and low embodied carbon to ensure new developments deliver the highest viable energy efficiency, including the use of decentralised energy; and support a local zero-carbon energy system that reduces Cherwell’s reliance on global fossil fuels and prioritises community energy.

SO 2: Deliver developments that efficiently use local natural resources (particularly water), that minimise and are resilient to the impacts of climate change, including extreme weather events such as flooding, drought and heatwaves.

SO 3: Improve air quality. Protect and maximise opportunities for biodiversity net gain and the enhancement of Cherwell’s natural capital assets, such as soils, woodlands, hedges and ponds in order to capture and store carbon.

SO 4: Maintain and improve the natural and built environment including biodiversity, landscape, green Infrastructure and waterways by ensuring new development achieves high-quality design standards and conserves and enhances the natural, historic, cultural and landscape assets of Cherwell.

SO 5: Prioritise active travel and increase the attraction of and opportunities for public transport, ensuring high standards of connectivity and accessibility to services for all. Reduce dependency on the private car as a mode of travel, facilitating the creation of a net-zero-carbon transport network.

Theme Two - Maintaining and Developing a Sustainable Local Economy

SO 6: Support a strong and sustainable economy within the district, including the visitor economy and agriculture, and ensure sufficient land is allocated to meet our identified needs.

SO 7: Increase education, training and skills, and encourage investment in the local workforce; improve and enhance digital connectivity and infrastructure, to support a sustainable and resilient economy, reduce inequality and help to reduce unnecessary transport.

SO 8: Support Cherwell’s urban centres, including where beneficial, redevelopment and renewal, to maintain and enhance their vitality, viability, distinctiveness and safety.

SO 9: Recognise the economic benefits of preserving and enhancing the character and beauty of Cherwell’s built and natural heritage, and landscape, and the wider benefits from its natural capital and ecosystem services to ensure Cherwell remains attractive to business and as a place to live, work and visit for current and future communities.

Theme Three - Building Healthy and Sustainable Communities

SO 10: Meet the housing needs of all sectors of Cherwell’s communities, in a way that creates sustainable, well-designed, safe, inclusive and mixed communities, promoting inter-generational connectivity and lifetime neighbourhoods.

SO 11: Create sustainable, well-designed, distinctive places where healthy behaviours (being active, having opportunities to access a healthy diet, and having good social connections) are the norm and which provide a sense of belonging, safety, and a sense of community.

SO 12: Focus development in Cherwell’s sustainable locations, making efficient and effective use of land, conserving and enhancing the countryside, landscape, the natural environment, and the setting of its towns and villages.

SO 13: Protect and enhance the historic environment, including protecting and enhancing cultural heritage assets and archaeology, and promoting inclusive access to local assets where appropriate.

SO 14: Provide sufficient accessible, well maintained good quality services, facilities and infrastructure, to meet health, education, transport, open space, sport, recreations, cultural, social and other community needs.

Question 5: Do you have any observations on our objectives?