The Acting Head of Planning Services (Planning Policy) has submitted a report to seek approval of the Authority Monitoring Report and Infrastructure Funding Statement 2021/22 for publication.

Cabinet is recommended to:

1.      Approve the Authority Monitoring Report and Infrastructure Funding Statement 2021/22 for publication; and

2.      Delegate authority to the Acting Head of Planning Services (Planning Policy) to make any necessary minor, non-material corrections to the document prior to publication.

The Acting Head of Planning Services (Planning Policy) had submitted a report to seek approval of the Authority Monitoring Report (AMR) and Infrastructure Funding Statement (IFS) 2021/22 for publication.

Councillor Alex Hollingsworth, Cabinet Member for Planning and Housing Delivery, explained that the Council was required to publish the documents on an annual basis.  The AMR assessed the effectiveness of the planning policies contained within the Oxford Local Plan, as well as the implementation of the Oxford Local Development Scheme, the Council’s Statement of Community Involvement in Planning and the Duty to Cooperate.  The IFS set out information on Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) contributions and Section 106 contributions, and the infrastructure items on which CIL was to be spent on in the next five years.

In presenting the report Councillor Hollingsworth drew attention to the positive housing trajectory, which showed that the Council was now ahead of the housing supply projection within the Local Plan.  Attention was also drawn to the impact of the Government’s changes to the planning use classes system, which meant that all retail uses and all office uses were now essentially within a single use class. Planning permission was therefore no longer needed for changes of building between these uses.  The full impact of these changes on high streets and district centres, and on the Local Plan, remained to be determined.

The significant progress in affordable housing completions over the preceding four year period, as shown at figure 3 of the report, was also noted.

Cabinet resolved to:

1.     Approve the Authority Monitoring Report and Infrastructure Funding Statement 2021/22 for publication; and

2.     Delegate authority to the Acting Head of Planning Services (Planning Policy) to make any necessary minor, non-material corrections to the document prior to publication.