Councils urge inspectors to reconsider local plan advice after minister calls for “flexibility”

The councils' joint plan is currently being examined by planning inspectors, who recently wrote to the councils recommending they withdraw the plan from the process.

The inspectors said the councils had failed in a "duty to cooperate" with Oxford City Council on the single issue of how many homes South Oxfordshire and Vale of White Horse should plan in their districts to help Oxford with its unmet needs.

The Minister of State for Housing and Planning, Matthew Pennycook, wrote separately to the Planning Inspectorate earlier this month to outline his expectation that local plans submitted in the current plan-making system should be treated "with an appropriate degree of flexibility".

Pennycook made specific mention of the duty to cooperate in his letter to PINS chief executive Paul Morrison.

He wrote: "In advance of the new plan-making system and mechanisms for cross-boundary cooperation coming into force, the final set of local plans being delivered within the current system remain essential to facilitating the effective delivery of housing, jobs and infrastructure.

“It is therefore critical that Inspectors approach examinations of current system plans with the appropriate degree of flexibility.

"The evidencing of expectations to establish whether the legal and soundness tests have been met – including with respect to the Duty to Cooperate – should be proportionate to the context in which plans in the existing system are being prepared."

The two councils have now written to the inspectorate to urge it to reconsider its initial conclusions in light of the Minister's letter, and with the publication of new housing figures for Oxford.

The letter argues that Oxford's housing figures, published after the Inspectors had adjourned the Joint Local Plan hearings in June, show that Oxfordshire's rural districts have already planned enough to cover those unmet needs in Oxford.

Cllr David Rouane, Leader of South Oxfordshire District Council, said: "This new steer from the government seems quite clear to me – Inspectors should provide a degree of flexibility during the examination process to give good local plans like ours every chance to be adopted."

Cllr Bethia Thomas, Leader of Vale of White Horse District Council, added: "It's vital that local development continues to be plan-led so that it is sustainable, appropriate and well planned for our existing and future residents. The Minister's letter describes local plans as the cornerstone of our planning system and clearly wants good local plans in place as efficiently as possible. With this in mind I call on our Inspectors to heed the advice from the Minister and our feedback while taking another look at their conclusions."

Adam Carey