The Head of Planning and Regulatory Service submitted a report which seeks approval for the withdrawal of the Oxford Local Plan 2040 from Examination and to approve the Local Development Scheme 2025-2030, which sets out the work programme for the revised Oxford Local Plan 2042.

Cabinet is recommended to:

·       Recommend Council to approve the withdrawal of the Oxford Local Plan 2040 and the publication of the withdrawal statement;

·       Approve the Local Development Scheme 2025-2030;

·       Authorise the Head of Planning and Regulatory Services to make any necessary minor corrections not materially affecting the document prior to publication.

·       Agree to the removal of the CIL Charging Schedule from the Planning Inspectorate so that an alternative Examiner (independent of the Planning Inspectorate) may be appointed.

The Head of Planning and Regulatory Service had submitted a report which sought approval for the withdrawal of the Oxford Local Plan 2040 from Examination and to approve the Local Development Scheme 2025-2030, which sets out the work programme for the revised Oxford Local Plan 2042.

Councillor Upton presented the report and its recommendations. She emphasised that herself and the Council did not want to be taking this step, but that they are where they are. Councillor Upton said that the planning inspectors had asked them to withdraw this plan, and the only sensible option was to do what the inspectors had asked. She said that the report sets out the timeline for that process. Councillor Upton stated that immense work had went into the 2040 plan, but that withdrawing it does give them the chance to review and update the plan. She stressed that it is frustrating that the 2040 plan had been delayed, but that this is perhaps a chance to improve the plan further.

Councillor Upton said that the second part of the report proposes changes to CIL charging schedule. For this matter, Councillor Upton said that they can find their own inspector privately and that is their plan. Councillor Upton said that the timetable for this work was set out in the report, and that there will likely be a two-year delay, but that they are working as quickly as they can on this matter.

David Butler, Head of Planning Services, said that they have presented an ambitious timeline to go out for consultation in two rounds. He assured that they will move as rapidly as they can to submit a new robust plan to meet their citizens’ needs.

Sarah Harrison, Planning Policy Team Leader, said that the LDS is not going to go to Council. She added that they must make sure they do everything right and make sure they do the processes properly before an updated plan is resubmitted.

Councillor Hollingsworth agreed with the frustration that had been expressed regarding the decision of the inspector and agreed with the need to get the CIL schemes implemented. He asked about the LDS, particularly regarding appendix one and the timings presented there. He said that regulation 18 consultation is being planned to begin in June 2025. He asked if that regulation 18 document would go through cabinet and if so, which cabinet meeting was the team aiming for? Councillor Hollingsworth added that there is a significant amount of material which exists, and he supported the point about needing to keep the materials developed. He asked if he could get a sense of what elements of adjustment rather than change are being taken in this timescale, for example, issues in their conservation areas and the need to reflect on environmental changes in a different way than they had previously done. Councillor Hollingsworth asked if they going to be able to pick those up in the tight timescale being presented.

Planning Policy Team Leader responded that the regulation 18 document will go to a future meeting of Cabinet and that they were aiming to submit this for June 2025 cabinet. She said that consultation is planned to start at the end of June and run for 6 weeks. She added that there will be a lot of points from now to meet with people and discuss their previous set of options and see what needs to be adjusted. She assured that they had factored in time to determine what they should adjust and change into their proposed timescale.

Councillor Brown agreed that she was also disappointed in the inspector’s decision. She said that it is disappointing that they are in this position, but they are and they need to make sure they have the right plans and policies in place so that they can ensure decisions are being made in the right way in the Council.

Cabinet agreed to:

·       Recommend Council to approve the withdrawal of the Oxford Local Plan 2040 and the publication of the withdrawal statement;

·       Approve the Local Development Scheme 2025-2030;

·       Authorise the Head of Planning and Regulatory Services to make any necessary minor corrections not materially affecting the document prior to publication.

·       Agree to the removal of the CIL Charging Schedule from the Planning Inspectorate so that an alternative Examiner (independent of the Planning Inspectorate) may be appointed.