Council to pinpoint sites for growth in housing

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

A local authority is set to launch a public consultation into where 18,000 new homes should be constructed.

West Oxfordshire District Council is required to build more than 900 new homes each year to meet recently updated targets set by the government, expanding the number of houses in the area by more than a third by 2043.

The council is currently redrafting its local plan, which it says will "guide how the district grows" and "ensure that the right homes are built in the right places".

Under the consultation into the plan, new sites for development will be evaluated - including in Witney and Carterton.

The authority said it was also considering smaller options at other towns and villages including Long Hanborough, Bampton, Standlake, Burford, Charlbury and Tackley.

Council leader Andy Graham said the updated local plan was "about creating an even better place to live and work".

"We are determined not to repeat the mistakes of the past, where housing came forward without the right infrastructure," he said.

"This is about making growth work for West Oxfordshire: planned, affordable, and sustainable – not piecemeal or speculative."

A report setting out the approach to identifying new locations for housing is being considered by the authority's Overview & Scrutiny Committee on 15 October.

If approved, the council said it would "pave the way" for a full public consultation, starting in early November.

As part of the consultation, residents, business and stakeholders will also be asked whether the end date of the new plan should be extended to 2043 - increasing the number of planned homes.

Councillor Hugo Ashton, in charge of planning at the council, said they had "already made changes to the plan in response to local feedback".

"These are decisions that will shape West Oxfordshire for the next generation, and residents will soon have another chance to influence them," he added.

The final plan is expected to be adopted towards the end of next year.