Oxford Local Plan 2040 (withdrawn)

Latest News - 18 February 2025

The City Council has provided a response to the Inspectors' letter dated 20 November 2024 (EXAM 22).

Text of response:

Martha Savage and Kevin Ward
The Planning Inspectorate
Subject: OLP2040 withdrawal
Your ref: PINS/G3310/429/9
Date: 17.02.25

Dear Ms Savage and Mr Ward,

RE: Oxford Local Plan 2040 Post Hearings Letter

Thank you for your letter of 20.11.24. In this letter you set out that Oxford City Council had two clear choices. One of these choices was to proceed with the examination and receive a final report that would bring the hearings to a close, and which would reflect the findings of your letter dated 11.09.24 and inevitably find the plan unsound. The other choice was to withdraw the plan.

You requested to be informed of the choice made. This letter is to update the Planning Inspectorate with the decision of Oxford City Council, which was to withdraw the plan. The decision was taken at a meeting of full Council on 27th January 2025.

Please also accept this letter as formal notification that Oxford City Council no longer requires the Planning Inspectorate to provide examination services for the Oxford Local Plan 2040 pursuant to the SLA.

Yours sincerely,

Rachel Williams, Planning Policy and Place Manager

Download our response to the Inspectors' letter of 20 November 2024

In accordance with regulation 22(1) of the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004 and Regulation 27(a) of the Town and Country Planning (Local Planning) (England) Regulations 2012, Oxford City Council hereby states that it has withdrawn its Regulation 22 submission version of the Oxford Local Plan 2040, which was approved at Council on 7th November 2023, and which was submitted to the Secretary of State for independent Examination on 28th March 2024.  

The resolution to withdraw the submission version of the Oxford Local Plan 2040 was made at a Full Council meeting held on 27th January 2025. The resolution to withdraw was made under the provisions of Section 22(1) of the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004, which provides that a Local Planning Authority may withdraw a local development document at any time before it is adopted. The resolution to withdraw followed a letter from the Planning Inspectorate dated 11th September 2024, recommending withdrawal because they identified a failure of the duty to cooperate in production of the housing evidence base to support the Plan.  

Any questions regarding the withdrawal of the Oxford Local Plan 2040 – Draft Submission Plan November 2023 should be directed to planningpolicy@oxford.gov.uk.

Download the Statement of Withdrawal of the Oxford Local Plan 2040

21 November 2024

The Local Plan Inspectors have provided a response to the City Council's letter dated 25 September 2024 (EXAM 21).

Download the Inspectors' response to our letter of 25 September 2024 (PDF 265kB)

The Local Plan Inspectors have written a letter to the council recommending that we withdraw the Local Plan 2040. This conclusion is explained in their letter, with the primary reason being that they consider there was a failure in the duty to cooperate.  This duty requires us to engage with interested parties, including surrounding local authorities and the county council. 

The Inspectors concluded that surrounding districts should have been more involved in the technical study into our housing need (the Housing and Economic Needs Assessment, or HENA).  

The inspectors also said the Council has not proved exceptional circumstances to justify its HENA assessment and should instead rely on the National Planning Policy Framework’s (NPPF) ‘standard method’ for assessing housing need. 

Oxford City Council continue to be committed to planning for the true housing need in Oxford, whilst delivering a more inclusive economy and protecting the environment. 

We are obviously disappointed by the conclusions of the letter and the Council will now carefully consider its next steps. 

• Download the Inspectors’ letter (PDF 182kB)
• Download our letter in response to the Inspectors’ letter (PDF 361kB)

See a summary of our response addressing the key points raised in the Inspectors' letter.

See a press release and more information for the media about our response to the Inspectors' letter.

The draft Oxford Local Plan 2040 was submitted to the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Communities and Housing on 28 March 2024, which marks the beginning of a public examination process.

Initial Hearings took place between 11 and 13 June 2024 at the Rose Hill Community Centre, Carole’s Way, Rose Hill, Oxford, OX4 4HF.  The hearings were live-streamed, and are available through the Council’s YouTube channel.

The Inspectors

Planning Inspectors Kevin Ward BA(Hons) MRTPI and Martha Savage BSc(Hons) MCD MRTPI have been appointed to undertake an independent examination into the soundness and legal compliance of the submitted Oxford Local Plan 2040.

The Inspectors' task will be to consider the soundness and legal compliance of the submitted Plan, based on the National Planning Policy Framework December 2021 (published in 2021) (under transitional arrangements in the National Planning Policy Framework 2023) and associated regulations. Guidance Notes have been prepared by the Inspector to help people understand the process.

Procedural Guidance for Local Plans has also been produced by the Planning Inspectorate, together with a short guide aimed at those participating in a local plan examination for the first time.

Programme Officer

Ian Kemp has been appointed as Programme Officer for the Local Plan Examination.  He is an Independent Officer working on behalf of the Inspector to organise and manage the administrative and procedural elements of the Examination process. His role is to act as the point contact for any person who has an interest in the Examination and as a liaison between the Inspector, Local Planning Authorities and Representors. Any matters that anyone wishes to raise with the Inspector should be submitted to him in the first instance via the contact details below. 

Address: PO Box 241, Droitwich, Worcestershire, WR9 1DW
Email: ian@localplanservices.co.uk
Telephone: 07723009166

Examination Timeline and Key Dates

• 5 September 2024 - EXAM 10-19: Responses to Initial Hearings Action Points Published
• 23 August 2024 - EXAM 7-9: Published relating to Green Belt   
• 18 June 2024 - EXAM 6: Initial Hearings Action Point List published.
• 13 June 2024 - EXAM 3: Suite of Documents and EXAM 4 document published, Initial Hearings closed.
• 11 June 2024 - Initial Hearings Commence.
• 10 June 2024 - Examination Document 1 and 2 published.
• 4 June 2024 -  Agendas for Initial Hearings published.
• 3 June 2024 - Written Statements for Initial Hearings published.
• 28 May 2024 - Updated Programme for Initial Hearings published
• 24 May 2024 - Written Statement Deadline for Initial Matters.
• 17 May 2024 - Requests to participate in Initial Hearings to be submitted to Programme Officer.
• 13 May 2024 - CSD.009: Schedule of Proposed Main Modifications in the Examination Library has been updated to correct typographical errors in respect to Policy SPE1.
• 29 April 2024 - Guidance Notes, Hearing Programme and Matters, Issues and Questions published
• 8 April 2024 - Planning Inspectors Kevin Ward BA(Hons) MRTPI and Martha Savage BSc(Hons) MCD MRTPI have been appointed to hold an independent examination of the Local Plan
• 28 March 2024 - Oxford Local Plan 2040 submitted for Examination

Examination Library

Queries relating to the Submission Draft of the Local Plan, evidence base and supporting documentation should be directed to planningpolicy@oxford.gov.uk.