Yearly Archive 17th August 2017

ByMark Davies

Public Responses to the Draft Neighbourhood Plan

The consultation on the Draft Wheatley Neighbourhood Plan closed at the end of June and in addition to the Statutory Responses posted previously we have been delighted with the engagement received from the community. To achieve this the committee put a lot of effort into publicising the consultation:

The responses collected are as follows:

Open Day Feedback – WNP Open Day 17 June 2017

Public Responses collated – Public Consultation written responses from residents WNP Public Consultation responses v3

Wheatley and Holton Parish Councils –  WNP Public Consultation with Wheatley and Holton Parish Councils, May-June 2017 Version 2

A variety of Developer or Agency Responses:

EB Pub.Con., Developer or Agent Responses, Beechcroft, The Railway, 30.06.17.

EB Pub.Con., Developer or Agent Responses, GVA for Oxf. Brookes, 30.06.17.

EB Pub.Con, Developer or Agent Response, Greaves of Castle Hill Farm, WHE 14 and WHE 13a, 29.06.17

EB Pub.Con., Developer or Agent Responses, for John Dykes, WHE 16, 29.06.17.

EB Pub.Con., Developer or Agent Responses,Taylor Wimpey, WHE 2 (2) 30.06.17

EB Pub.Con. Developer or Agent Responses, Taylor Wimpey, WHE 2, (1)

Commercial Feedback:

Expressions of Interest in Light Commercial Development: Cornfield Bakery – WNP Public Responses, Commercial Development Interests (Cornfield Bakery)

 

ByMark Davies

Statutory Responses to the Draft Neighbourhood Plan

2019

A total of 36 Statutory Bodies (SB) were contacted for WNP Final Public Consultation, 07 May – 21 June 2019. Ten SB sent substantial responses which are published here. Ten SB acknowledged receipt of documents. Sixteen SB did not respond. The two newly-elected (02 May) Ward Councillors for Beckley (including Holton) and for Wheatley, SODC Cllrs Gray and Kantor, were also contacted and engaged in phone discussions / correspondence with WNP Chairman.

Oxfordshire County Council – OCC response to Wheatley Neighbourhood Plan June 2019

South Oxfordshire District Council – SODC 2019-06 -19 Wheatley draft pre-submission consultation response [APPROVED] PDF

Wheatley Parish Council – WPC response to WNP 2019

Holton Parish Council – HPC response to WNP 2019

Historic England – Historic England 2019-06-19 Wheatley NP Pre-Submission HE RLS comments

CPRE Oxfordshire – CPRE response to WNP 2019

Thames Water – Thames Water 19.06.17 L CT South Oxfordshire Wheatley Draft Neighbourhood Plan 

Thames Water 19.06.17 L CT South Oxfordshire Wheatley Draft Neighbourhood Plan Site S…

National Grid – Nationalgrid Wheatley NP REP 07.06.19

Natural England – Natural England response to WNP 2019

Sport England – SportEngland Response to WNP 2019

 

2017

The consultation on the draft Wheatley Neighbourhood Plan ended on the 30th June 2017 and since then we have been busily collating all of your feedback. In addition to the valuable responses from the community we’ve also received a lot of feedback from many of the statutory bodies we’ve engaged with.  We consider the letters from the Oxfordshire County Council, Natural England, Historic England and The Environment Agency to be particularly important:

Oxfordshire Clinical Commissioning Group – EB WNP Pub.Con. response Clin. Com. Group. 17 May 2017

Oxfordshire County Council – EB Statutory Responses, OCC, WNP Pub.Con. May-June 2017

Thames Water – EB Statutory Responses, Thames Water, Pub.Con, May-June 2017

Homes and Community Agency – EB Statutory Responses, Homes and Communities, Pub.Con.May-June 2017

Natural England – EB Statutory Responses, Nat Eng WNP Pub.Con. May-June 2017

Historic England – EB Statutory Responses, Hist. Eng. WNP Pub.Con. May-June 2017

The Environment Agency – EB Statutory Response, Environment Agency, WNP Pub.Con.May-June 2017

Highways England, Pub. Con. Response 19th May – No comment as not affecting A34

Health and Safety Executive, Pub. Con. Response 7 June – No representation to make

Homes and Communities Agency (Carter Jonas representing) re. Chalgrove Airfield

CPRE – Acknowledged x 2 July 2017; workshop with, March 2017; referred to SODC/CPRE Committee

CTIL (Telecoms) – Acknowledged, May 2017

Consortium Policy Research, England – Acknowledged, July 2017

Gardens Trust – Acknowledged, June 2017

Gigaclear – Acknowledged, June 2017

Network Rail Assets – Nil Response

Plant Protection – Acknowledged, May 2017

SSA Planning – Acknowledged, May 2017

Southern Electric – Acknowledged, July 2017 (mystified)

Sports England – 9 August 2017 – WNP Statutory Bodies, Pub. Consultation, May-June 2017, Sport England

Chilterns Conservation Board – WNP Chilterns Conservation Board May 2018

Non-statutory but recommended by LGO office:

Royal Town Planning Institute (Planning Advice England, Neighbourhood Planning) – Detailed Response June 2017

New Responses – added 1st August 2017:

The National Grid – Wheatley NP National Grid Response 19.06.17

SODC – WNP pre-submission draft plan – SODC Response 27 07 17

ByMark Davies

The End of the Consultation

Tonight the eight week consultation of the Draft Wheatley Neighbourhood Plan draws to a close. The committee has been gathering your feedback throughout this period via our website, emails, letters, face to face conversations and at the Open Day which took place on the 17th June. To give you just a flavour of the views of the community, the following link will take you to a summary of the feedback gathered on that day:

WNP Open Day 17 June 2017

From the whole Neighbourhood Plan committee and on behalf of the community, thank you to everyone who has participated. Now the task of rebuilding the plan begins in light of your valued feedback.

 

ByMark Davies

The Draft Wheatley Neighbourhood Plan is Published – The Consultation has Begun!

Dear Wheatley and Holton,

For the past 16 months a dedicated band of volunteer residents of Wheatley and Holton have been beavering away to produce your Neighbourhood Plan. Through an extraordinary amount of hard work by the Committee and lots of fantastic feedback from you, the Community – the scale of which is hinted at by the Evidence Base which is posted elsewhere on this website – we have now arrived at the draft plan which we will now be published for consultation from now, this moment, until Friday 30th June. And here it is:

WNP_document_v23

Please take some time to read this and digest it. It is perhaps not overstating it to say that its contents will help to shape life in Wheatley and Holton for the next twenty years or so. And once you have done this, please let us know what you think.

Comment and feedback:

  • electronically to the Chairman of the Neighbourhood Plan Committee, John Fox: wnpchairman@gmail.com or to the Parish Clerks
  • through the Parish and WNP websites
  • in writing to The Parish Office, The Merry Bells, 89 High Street, Wheatley OX33 1XP or to the box in Wheatley Post Office
  • and in person on WNP Open Day(s) / mini-Display sessions (more details to follow)

We’ve done our bit for now. The next stage is down to you.

Many thanks for your continued participation,

The Wheatley Neighbourhood Plan Committee

 

 

ByMark Davies

The consultation is about to begin…

Statutory Public Consultation
Emerging Wheatley Neighbourhood Plan

May-June 2017

The Consultation has been introduced at the new format Wheatley Annual Parish Assembly, (Wheatley Primary, 03 May 2017.) WNP was represented in the general Q. and A. session which followed. Holton Parish is fully involved in drawing up The Emerging Plan and First copies of the Draft WNP will be sent to Councillors of both Parishes before their bi-monthly meetings on 08 May. Wheatley Parish Council, as the Qualifying Body, will then formally initiate Consultation. A dedicated meeting of each PC with WNP Committee reps is suggested for the week beginning 29 May, after Bank Holiday Monday and when people will have had 3 weeks to digest The Draft Plan.

The Public Consultation will receive feedback for ‘at least six weeks’ from the community, from SODC and OCC, and from other required bodies. ‘At least six weeks Consultation’ is required for a response from the community, from SODC and OCC. However it will end formally Friday 30 June, to allow slack for half-term, Bank Holiday and the General Election. SODC hope to hold the Community Referendum in September to validate [‘make’] the WNP.

The new SODC Emerging Local Plan 2033 of 29 March is not holding an Open Day in Wheatley, although it is a strategic site. Please note, Public Consultation responses to LP2033 above are due in to SODC by 17 May. [Google pdf version SODC LP2033 2nd Preferred Options Document]

Electronic copies of the Draft WNP will be sent to:
– SODC, OCC and 13 other statutory bodies
 Parish Clerks and Chairs of PCs
 all on the WNP contact list in Holton and Wheatley
 all groups, societies and organisations consulted by WNP Committee and Volunteers.

It will be available on the WNP and Parish Council websites [www.wheatleyparishcouncil.gov.uk; www.holtonparishcouncil.org.uk; www.wheatleyneighbourhoodplan.co.uk .]

Hard copies will be available in Wheatley Library and Wheatley Parish Office.
Also by appointment with Sonja Barter, Clerk to Holton PC (872334) and
copy held in Holton Village Hall.
Public Computers are available in Wheatley Library for electronic access.

Comment and feedback:
 electronically to John Fox, wnpchairman@gmail.com , or to Parish Clerks
 through Parish and WNP websites ,
 written to Wheatley Parish Office or to box in Wheatley Post Office
 and in Person on WNP Open Day(s) / mini-Display sessions.

PLEASE WATCH NOTICE BOARDS IN BOTH PARISHES
John Fox
Chairman

ByMark Davies

Report to Wheatley Parish Council January 2017

1. Neighbourhood Plan Drafting Workshops

a) Three Workshops were held in November-December, allowing 12 hours discussion   to formulate the Vision and Objectives for the Wheatley Neighbourhood Plan.

b) Community representatives from Holton joined the Workshops: Doris Pridmore, Alan East, Polly Davidson, Clare Wright. Their contribution has been invaluable.

c)  Three more Workshops in January will allow up to 9 hours discussion of strategies and policies needed for the Wheatley Neighbourhood Plan.

d) The framing of policies is the sharp end of a Neighbourhood Plan. They can be formulated as principles now, even though the size timing of any Oxford Brookes U. development is undecided. Policies have to be couched in precise language which can stand a legal challenge. SODC advisors will help with the wording, but the content remains ours.

e)  Road Map. Once our Draft NP has taken its first shape (end of January), it will be passed to SODC Planning and our new NP Advisers (see 3 c) below) for the professional wording  of policies we believe the community wants, and to confirm compliance with national and District policies. This will take up much of  February. We hope then to offer the Draft NP to the communities (Holton and Wheatley) in March for the required 6-week Consultation  before we submit it to the Examiner.

f)  The Oxford Brookes U. site has been the focus of development talk since 31 May 2016. It should be noted that WNP Land Use and Housing Team has also investigated pockets of land potentially available in Wheatley. We have also pressed to keep alive the ‘mixed use’ proposal for the OBU site, alongside housing (Preferred Sites, Draft LP32, June 2016). ‘Mixed use’ was barely heard in SODC pronouncements after the summer Consultation..

2. Three Unknowns

a) The new Bill on Local and Neighbourhood Planning went to The Lords in December after its 3rd Reading in The Commons. The intention is to streamline NPs.

b) White Paper on Land Use due out in January. We will know more soon. (See below 3 d)

c) See 4 a) below, re. Consultations on Preferred Sites 1 and Preferred Sites 2.

 3. SODC and WNP

a) Neighbourhood Plan Adviser left early in August.

b) On 7 September, at WNP request, two SODC Planning officials were questioned by WNP full Committee (and Chairman HPC). Details were minuted and sent to both Parish Councils.

c) Again at WNP request, on 6 December, a meeting was held with SODC Chairman John Cotton and six members of WNP committee. Informal minutes were sent by WNP to both Parish Councils. We met the two new NP advisers who made an immediate impression.

d) Local MP, SODC Chair, new NP Advisers and District NP reps (including WNP) are due to meet on 20 January for clarifications and updates. WPC / HPC will be kept informed.

4. Oxford Brookes U. Site News

a) We still await feedback on the June-August SODC Consultation on Preferred Sites LP32. SODC and WNP hosted this for Wheatley/Brookes on 13 July in The Merry Bells. The scale  of response has delayed publication until February, along with a revised Preferred Sites (2), LP32 and further Consultation. These SODC-led Consultations are the last major community feedback which remain to be absorbed by WNP into the Plan if and where relevant.

b) OBU student and professorial involvement (Town Planning Degree Course, Final Year  Project) in OBU site investigation. This group collaborates with full knowledge of OBU and is welcomed by WNP. The first student exhibition (findings and recommendations) was held in December and WNP members were there to respond.

c) OBU is to convene a meeting on 6 February with reps from the two parish councils and WNP. The subject will be the Environmental Impact Assessment announced in November as part of Brookes’ applying for Outline Planning Permission for the site before selling.

d) Housing figures bandied around about the Oxford Brookes U. site since 31 May, ranged from ‘300+ – 600+’ (June) to ‘750 maximum’ (November). Parish councillors and WNP Committee members owe it to the community not to scaremonger on hypothetical or capacity- testing figures. I explained the ‘750’ on WNP Website in November. Real figures will come soon enough.

5. Community Consultation.

a) results of SODC Consultation Preferred Sites 1 LP32 and of future Consultation Preferred Sites 2 LP32 are still in the pipeline. (See 4 a))

b) All the WNP body of evidence including surveys, consultations, group encounters and sourced information on Wheatley is being collated. It will be made available during our  public Consultation (see 1 e) above) in March before Draft WNP submission to Examination.

6. When may a Neighbourhood Plan take effect ?

Increasingly, but unpredictably, NPs are being acknowledged by Planning authorities pre-submission, that is after Examination, but before they are finalised (or ‘made’) by District Council and  Local Referendum. After March, WNP will be approaching Examination.

My thanks go to the many people in both communities who have supported us up to now and in so many different ways. I must also name Gareth Morris, retiring Clerk to Wheatley P.C., who has been helpful beyond the call. WNP wish him a happy, fulfilled retirement.

John Fox

Chairman

Wheatley Neighbourhood Plan

3 January 2017