South Oxford District Council Local Plan

A resident writes about the emerging SODC Local Plan:

South Oxfordshire District Council is developing a new Local Plan that, once made, will shape the future of their district. They say they are committed to involving our communities in preparing this new plan, and as it is adjacent to our area, it will surely have repercussions throughout the Vale.  (The Vale of the White Horse Local Plan 2031 was adopted on 14th December 2016).  The emerging Local Plan sets out their vision for South Oxfordshire up to 2033.  It identifies where housing, retail and employment  should be located and the infrastructure required to support this growth, such as new roads, schools, health services and sewerage.  The proposed policies in the plan will be used to help make decisions on planning applications in the district.  There is a 7 week consultation, Wednesday 29th March to 5pm on Wednesday 17th May 2017.  Contact SODC for further information. There are various ways of giving feedback - see the website for SODC or write to them at SODC Planning Policy, 135 Eastern Avenue, Milton Park, Abingdon OX14 4SB.

Worryingly, there is very little about flood prevention in this plan.  On scrolling though, it is only mentioned once or twice.

They say in section 8.28 'Buffer zones are important along watercourses to give species and habitats protection from increased disturbance associated with development.  The extent of the buffer is dependent on the size and nature of the development,  it should be a minimum of 10 metres wide, measured from the top of each bank.  Larger developments should provide further buffering, and these additonal areas can be used for informal recreation.'  and again in section 8.30 'Buffer zones also help to reduce the incidences of flooding by allowing water storage and natural drainage of rainwater'.  They comment also on the value of watercourses for flood management in section 8.22.

For anyone whose homes were flooded, or nearly, in 2007 this must seem to be a worrying trend.  The Councils have made, generally, very few proactive flood prevention plans in order to mitigate the serious impact of flooding in the future.  This is, at the very least, a missed opportunity.