Neighbourhood and Community Plans in Oxford
What's happening in Neighbourhood Planning across the city
8 October 2012
We are aware of the following groups who are developing, or considering developing, a Neighbourhood Plan (NP) or Community Plan (CP) in Oxford:
| Group/Area | Status | Type of Plan |
| Wolvercote | Application for area designation was approved by the City Council in July 2013. Formal designation of the Neighbourhood Forum was given in January 2014. A working group is compiling a draft document with vision, principles and policies to develop into a NP. During the summer of 2014 most activity involved discussions about local large planing applications and the preparation of a full NP was on hold. Work on creating a NP restarted in late 2014, with the intent of creating a simpler plan with general planning policies. This continued throughout 2015. | NP |
| Headington | Application for area designation was approved by the City Council in May 2014. Formal designation of the Forum was obtained in September 2014. A project manager was appointed, who is driving forward the preparation of the plan. Details were generated by a number of working groups (housing, traffic, identity, built environment etc). The first AGM of the Forum was held in October 2014. During the first half of 2015 a draft plan was written which went out over the summer for public consultation. The aim is that referendum will be held in 2016. The first AGM was held on Friday 2 October 2015. A draft plan went to the City Council in December 2015. It will shortly be published for statutory consultation. | CP and NP |
| Summertown / St Margaret’s | Application for area designation was approved by the City Council in July 2013. Formal designation of the Neighbourhood Forum was given in January 2014. Work on creating a neighbourhood plan had stalled as the group concentrated on creating a development brief, with City Planners, for the Ewert House/Diamond Place development. Work on the NP recommenced in late 2014 through a number of working groups.A project manager was appointed in spring of 2015 to drive the work forward. The AGM was held on 2 November. The next Forum meeting is on 17 March 2016. Consultation underway on policy ideas, spring 2016. | NP |
| Jericho | The Jericho Wharf Trust has taken the lead in considering the need for a Neighbourhood Planning framework for Jericho. The Trust led on this initiative because the key objective was to secure the future of the Canal boatyard site as a community asset. They have been instrumental in persuading the City Authority to create a Supplemental Planning Document for this site. This has avoided the need for a NP for this key objective. In due course the communities of Jericho will consider whether there are secondary priorities which would benefit from a NP. | |
| East Oxford | Investigations taken place into a possible NP/CP for East Oxford following Councillor led discussions at East Area Forums in early 2014. Unlikely to proceed because case not clear. | |
| Cutteslowe | Oxford City Council supporting the development of a community plan. | CP |
| Risinghurst | Oxford City Council supporting the development of a community plan. | CP |
| West Oxford Matters | Understood to have had some discussions about CP and NP but not so far decided whether to proceed further. | tbd |
| Littlemore | City Council developing a Community Plan. | CP |
| Rose Hill | Draft Regeneration Plan issued May 2013, produced by Rose Hill Regeneration Partnership | CP |