Cherwell District Council have sent the proposed draft Local Plan back for amendment.

Officers instructed  "More should be done to maintain the Green Ring around Kidlington"

Our well argued case to create two Local Green Spaces (LGS) to the SE and W of St Mary's church failed to be included in the draft Cherwell Local Plan 2040.

With the Parish Council's full support, we had proposed that the field North of the Moors (the Bury Moor Fields) and the Church Street Conservation area fields met the governments criteria to be awarded the additional protection of LGS designation.

Cherwell engaged an independent consultant = TEP - the Environment Partnership - to help its officers assess the LGS submissions.

The TEP Final report (which appends our submissions) can be be downloaded via this link.

The ‘emerging draft Cherwell Local Plan 2040’ has been published and will be discussed at a meeting of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee which meets at 6.30 pm on Weds 11^th January.

We are VERY disappointed
It seems Cherwell intends to accept excessive growth and is willing to provide yet more houses for Oxford City’s expansionIn doing so, it is following a strategic path largely rejected by the other three Oxfordshire Districts.

From a Kidlington perspective, the main immediate concerns are:

1. a new strategic housing allocation at Kidlington on Green Belt land north of the Moors
2. further loss of Green Belt around the village (contrary to national policy) 
3. failure to designate the Local Green Spaces proposed by KDW for Kidlington
4. the overall excessive level of growth (housing growth in particular the plan proposes a total housing requirement of almost 1500 dwellings per annum (dpa), including a “contingency” and some provision for Oxford. This is double the Standard Method requirement in current national policy).

Oxfordshire County Council  have amended many aspects of their proposals in the light of everyones' feed back. Pleased to see improved pedestrian and cycle safety measures along with confirmation that all existing trees on the roundabout will be saved!

Oxfordshire County Council have agreed to extend the consultation to 12th August. However, at the time of writing they have not publicised this extension, nor have they improved the consultation information available online to highlight the loss of the poplars and other trees that grace the approach to Kidlington.

It seems the County knows this going to be very "un-Poplar" - so lets make our feelings about the fellings very clear.

Our analysis lists many other reasons for serious concern and lead us to argue that the plans need to be improved in order to meet their objectives