Following the Inspectors preliminary findings, West Oxfordshire District Council have issued their revised proposals.
The Inspector found that there is no ‘local need’ that justifies the level of planned development in what is known as the Burford / Charlbury sub area of the West Oxfordshire District. The Inspector went further saying that as a result significant development sites in the area were not justified and any reliance on ‘windfall sites’, to achieve their housing target, was not required.
This is an important milestone because West Oxfordshire District Council had to show that exceptional circumstances existed if it approved development in the Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB). All of the Burford / Charlbury sub area and Stonesfield, falls within the AONB.
As a result the significant developments in our village and others in that sub area have been removed from the latest Local Plan proposals recently issued by WODC. For Stonesfield this means that WODC no longer supports the development proposed for the Woodstock Rd. The revised proposals for the Local Plan are out for consultation and details can be found on WODC’s web site. Comments on the revised Local Plan will be accepted until the 9th April.