Future plans
Plans beyond 2011
Planning beyond 2011 started around 2005. KHR contributed to the debates and the EiP on the Oxfordshire Structure Plan for 2016, which included further expansion of Didcot. This was superseded by the South East Regional Plan (SE Plan) to 2026, which replaced the Oxfordshire Structure Plan.
Growth point status
The SE Plan included more housing at Didcot. To start with about 3000 houses were proposed but 1500 were added when SODC applied for and won ‘Growth Point’ status for Didcot. This meant that Didcot was awarded Government money for infrastructure, on condition that even more houses were built. VWH and SODC agreed to share the total of about 4500 houses equally. These proposals were opposed by KHR through several consultations and at the EiP on the SE Plan held in 2007. The housing plans for Didcot were incorporated in the SE Plan published in May 2009.
The local councils started to prepare their Local Development Framework Core Strategies (the documents that replaced the old Local Plans) in late 2007.
New roads
KHR pressed for new road infrastructure to precede development beyond 2011. The emerging Local Development Framework Core Strategies have changed the routes of proposed roads in response to local comments and traffic modelling studies. The current draft VWH and SODC Core Strategies include a Harwell Strategic Link Road from the A417 near the Kingswell Restaurant to the A4130 east of the Milton Interchange with the A34 and a Harwell Field Link Road from the A417 to the entrance of the Harwell Science and Innovation Campus on the A4185.
Link roads and proposed additional housing in VWH
Planning up to 2026
KHR’s main concern for the future is that because VWH agreed to take half the 4500 or so extra houses required for Didcot it is now proposing to build 2150 houses west of Great Western Park by 2026. This would bring the development almost up to the A34 using up yet more quality agricultural land and removing most of the rural gap between Harwell village and Didcot.
The Coalition Government intends to abolish regional plans as part of its Localism Bill, and local councils would then no longer be bound by the policies and housing numbers in the SE Plan. Despite this, SODC is pressing ahead with little change to the number of houses in the SE Plan. However, it has made some detailed departures from the SE Plan that are being challenged by developers, and some changes that have been criticised by the Planning Inspector who will carry out the Public Examination into the LDF. As a result SODC is having to alter its LDF in some respects, but these do not seem to affect the housing numbers for Didcot.
KHR thinks that if SODC wants to continue with the numbers for Didcot in the SE Plan the additional housing should be mainly in SODC, not in the Parish of Harwell. SODC plans to build most of its share of the additional houses to the north east of Didcot.
VWH has delayed producing its revised LDF Core Strategy until later in 2011. So we wait to see whether it will still follow the SE Plan.
KHR will oppose any further expansion of Didcot, but if this opposition is rejected it will keep pressing for any further development west of Didcot to be contingent upon the provision of the new link roads.
Last update July 2011