Response to the South East Plan from Sunningwell Parish Council, Oxfordshire

In general, we support this document and regard it as well presented, well thought through, logical and welcome.

However, there are still some points we would wish to make at this stage, the first of which would be that we would not be in favour of wholesale changes of policy or implementation resulting from pressure being exerted by developers and politicians as a result of this current round of consultation. There are many who will not like this document as it may frustrate political and/or financial ambitions. We would urge the Assembly to resist, at all costs, demands to reverse major policies. For example, we would be most unhappy to find considerable increases in projected numbers of houses and/or any attempt to release Green Belt Land for development purposes.

Our other main concern is regarding infrastructure and we fully endorse policy CC5, but would emphasise the need to implement the creation of suitable infrastructure before and during development and not after. We regard, for example, recent broadcast comments from the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister suggesting there is no need to wait for an increase in water supply before beginning to build houses in the south east as irresponsible and dangerous.

CC6- We welcome this policy, but would not wish it to allow the wholesale identification of Green Belt land for development, and would welcome clarification of this point.

CC7-We endorse the inter-regional thinking, but feel it does not go far enough. We would like to see some acknowledgement of the need to balance development between the north and south of the country. The current imbalance is fair to neither region. The north needs more and we need less.

CC10a- We endorse this policy with the proviso that it doesn’t allow over management of the countryside and green belt areas. There is a difference between sensitive management and conservation and the development of unedifying theme parks.

CC10b-Fully endorse

CC12-Fully endorse

H5- We fully support the general thrust of the chapter on housing, but are concerned about the increase in density proposed. We can see this may be appropriate in many areas, but would be unhappy if it simply became the norm everywhere and would be extremely unhappy to see the wholesale development of many large high density estates with all the social and practical problems inherent in their make up with which they have become associated over the years.

Section D5- We fully approve of the whole of the section on sustainable natural resource management.

Section D6- We approve of the whole of this section, but would urge that there be clarification of the need to restrict such activity in the Green Belt round Oxford to very small scale operations.

Section D8- Fully support

Section D9- Generally support, but is there any way at all of promoting diversity of retail provision and avoiding cloned shopping centres and the undue influence of Tescos and the like?

Section D10- Support

D11- Support

Section E7, Central Oxfordshire

We generally endorse and welcome this section, but would make the following comments:

CO1: strongly in favour of this policy

CO2: we still question the real need for so much new housing, but, as far as it goes, find the figures quoted acceptable. We would not wish for any greater number of houses or any change of location from CO1

CO3: We fully support this policy and believe it to be critical to maintaining the special character of this area as outlined in 2.1 of E7. We would oppose any change to this policy. We would urge you to resist all pressures to develop into the Green Belt, especially under the guise of the urban extension of Oxford.

CO5: We support this policy and would urge the controlled economic development of the area and would be totally opposed to any notion of “letting the local economy rip”

CO7: We are very concerned that infrastructure is planned seriously and is in place ahead of development. We feel it is almost more important than the housing itself. We would not like to see the development of large barren overcrowded estates in any part of Oxfordshire where residents are left to their own devices regarding amenities, transport and utilities.

Implementation and delivery

Planning is one thing, delivery another. Whatever practical difficulties arise, or changes of government etc. in the time under scrutiny, we would urge that the eventual outcome matches the plan here proposed.