Cherwell Local Plan Review 2042 Proposed Submission (December 2024)

The Local Plan will guide our decisions on planning applications and contribute to the achievement of sustainable development. It is a Plan to meet our development needs, to respond to climate change, to protect the environment and to support our local economy and communities.

The Plan sets out a vision and proposes homes, employment land, infrastructure and other essential services required to support the local community over the plan period.

In making your comments we would like you to consider whether the Plan is ‘sound’ and whether it complies with the necessary legal requirements for plan making. The Planning Inspectorate has produced a useful guide to making representations at this stage of the plan making process. Our guide is also available to view.

All representations received will be submitted to the Secretary of State for consideration as part of the Local Plan examination. We do not make significant changes to the Plan after we have received your comments. Instead they are considered by the appointed Planning Inspector. 

Statement following publication of the revised National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) on 12 December 2024. 

The new NPPF includes transitional arrangements for local plans that are at an advanced stage like ours.

We are publishing this proposed submission (Regulation 19) Local Plan under the transitional arrangements set out in paragraph 234(a) of the revised NPPF.

In accordance with paragraph 234(a), the housing requirement in the Local Plan meets at least 80% of local housing need.

The local housing need figure, calculated in accordance with the Planning Practice Guidance published on 12 December 2024, is 1118 dwellings per year. The housing requirement in the Local Plan is 911 dwellings per year. That is 81.5% of the local housing need figure. Pursuant to paragraph 235, this will  mean that the Cherwell Local Plan Review 2042 will be examined under the December 2023 version of the National Planning Policy Framework.