Local plan to be withdrawn over housing concerns

Councils submit a local plan every four years to set out how much housing and infrastructure is needed to meet demand

Two district councils have been told to withdraw their forthcoming local plans after concerns were raised over how housing requirements would be met.

A joint local plan for South Oxfordshire District Council and Vale of White Horse for 2041 was developed over the past four years and was submitted to the government in December.

But planning inspectors said they had not met their duty to co-operate with Oxford City Council over the issue of unmet housing needs, and there had been "fundamental disagreement" over how many new homes were required.

The councils said they were disappointed with the decision and were now discussing their next steps.

Oxford City Council was also told to withdraw its local plan last October for the same reasons.

Councils submit a local plan every four years to set out how much housing and infrastructure is needed to meet demand and where it should go.

The South Oxfordshire District and Vale of White Horse plans were in the examination stage when the inspectorate asked for them to be withdrawn.