Oxford Local Plan 2040

Oxford is a starkly divided city. The gap in life expectancy for men between the least and most deprived parts of Oxford is up to 16 years, and 29% of children live below the poverty line. 

To improve public health and bring people together, the existing Local Plan: 

• protects and encourages more leisure, community and cultural facilities in district centres (Blackbird Leys, Cowley Centre, Cowley Road, Headington and Summertown) that are within a short walk, bike or bus ride of most Oxford residents 
• requires major developers to submit a Health Impact Assessment, which sets out the ways the development will promote healthy lifestyles (e.g., with new walking routes, playing fields or parks) 

The new Local Plan 2040 aims to take this further, including by: 

• protecting existing leisure, community and cultural facilities, and requiring new facilities that attract people – from workplaces to places of worship – to be located near to homes and existing public transport hubs 
• encouraging low-car developments across Oxford with good, secure bicycle parking 

The Local Plan aims to build on the success of Barton Healthy New Town, which was showcased at the World Health Organization’s Healthy Cities Conference in 2018. Alongside new homes, the Barton Park development was designed to embed health and wellbeing into the fabric of the community, including pleasant walking routes in new parks, outdoor gym equipment, sports facilities, improved allotments, and homes designed for whole lifetimes.