Chapter 3: Our Strategy for development

Chapter 3: Our Strategy for Development in Cherwell

Spatial Strategy

3.1 Our spatial strategy delivers our vision and objectives for Cherwell. It Is implemented through the area strategies and policies that follow.

District

  • Ensure that our committed growth is delivered
  • Focus new development at Bicester, Banbury and to a lesser extent in the Kidlington area
  • Revitalise our urban centres and encourage investment
  • Minimise carbon emissions and achieve set net gains in biodiversity in delivering new development
  • Raise design standards and improvements to the built environment to elevate the attractiveness of our towns and villages, while conserving our historic environment
  • Ensure that new development improves wellbeing through design, accessibility, social interaction, the provision of amenities and facilities and opportunities for active travel and recreation
  • Encourage new development that improves opportunity for all and in particular provides access to housing to meet all needs.

Banbury

  • Deliver committed development and provide for some limited additional growth reflecting the topographical, landscape and rural character constraints of the town’s edge
  • Revitalise, appropriately repurpose and seek further investment in the town centre, continue to improve its built and ‘green’ environment and public realm and further develop the nighttime economy
  • Continue to support and strengthen the town’s economy and diversify its skill base
  • Encourage development proposals that will support education and help reduce deprivation
  • Seek strategic transport improvements to encourage active travel, reduce congestion and pollution, and reduce cross town traffic by motorised vehicles.

Bicester

  • Deliver committed development and be the focus for additional development reflecting the town’s on-going growth and transformation as a sustainable Garden Town and its regional and sub-regional location on the Oxford-Cambridge Corridor and East-West Rail route
  • Deliver a high-quality employment corridor into the town along the A41
  • Continue to maximise the benefits of having key international and national destinations and economic activity to support further business investment
  • Support the continued improvement of the town’s centre, its facilities, its public realm and ‘green’ environment
  • Resolve transport connectivity and infrastructure challenges and encourage active travel.

Kidlington

  • Strengthen Kidlington’s role as a Local Service Centre
  • Improve the built and ‘green’ environment of Kidlington Village Centre
  • Continue to support investment in key economic assets including the Village Centre, London-Oxford Airport, Begbroke Science Park and Langford Lane technology corridor
  • Ensure the successful implementation of the committed 4,400 homes to help Oxford’s housing needs so that the planned benefits for the communities of Kidlington, Gosford and Water Eaton, Begbroke and Yarnton are delivered.

Heyford Park

  • Ensure the implementation of the committed growth at Heyford Park to fully establish the new settlement already planned whilst preserving and enhancing the area’s heritage significance.

Rural Areas  

  • Protect the identity and character of our villages and rural areas and avoid unplanned development in the open countryside
  • Provide for limited development to meet local community and business needs and help support the vitality of these more rural settlements and the viability of existing businesses and agriculture/farms
  • Direct the development of new housing to the larger and more sustainable villages that offer a wider range of services, and to a lesser extent to villages that are well-connected to our urban areas and sustainable villages
  • Maintain the designated Green Belt
  • Conserve and enhance the Cotswolds National Landscape (Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty)
  • Protect the character of locally designated landscapes, and preserve and enhance conservation areas and registered parks and gardens and their settings.

Policy SP 1: Settlement Hierarchy

3.2 Our Settlement Hierarchy is based on an assessment of a number of factors including population size, number and range of facilities and services, settlement characteristics, accessibility, local employment opportunities and the functional relationship with other settlements. Each defined settlement tier has a different role. The hierarchy has five main tiers as follows:

  • Main Towns
  • Local Service Centres
  • Larger (Category A) Villages
  • Smaller, well connected (Category B) Villages
  • Smaller (Category C) Villages.

3.3 Our strategy seeks to protect and enhance the services and facilities provided by our Main Towns, Local Service Centres and Larger Villages. It focuses new homes, jobs and community facilities at these settlements.

3.4 Infilling is defined as the development of a small gap in an otherwise continuous built-up frontage. However, not all infill gaps or other larger undeveloped areas within our settlements will be suitable for development. Many spaces in village streets are important and cannot be filled without detriment to their character. For example, such gaps may afford views out to the landscape or help to impart a spacious rural atmosphere to the village. This is particularly important in a loose knit village pattern where the spaces may be as important as the buildings.

Policy SP 1: Settlement Hierarchy

Residential development will be approved in accordance with the following Settlement Hierarchy and Classification:

Settlement Category Settlement Type of Development

Main Towns

Main Towns have the ability to support the most sustainable patterns of living through their current levels of facilities, services and employment opportunities. They have the greatest long-term potential for development to provide the jobs and homes to help sustain, and where appropriate, enhance their services and facilities to support viable and sustainable communities.

Banbury
Bicester

 

  • Presumption in favour of sustainable development.
  • Development beyond the built-up limits of the settlement will only be permitted on allocated sites within the development plan or in accordance with Policies RUR 2 to 5.

Local Service Centres

​​​​​Local Service Centres are large villages with, or are planned to have, a level of services and facilities, and local employment opportunities to provide the next best opportunities for sustainable development outside the Main Towns.

Kidlington*
Heyford Park

 

 

  • Presumption in favour of sustainable development.
  • Development beyond the built-up limits of the settlement will only be permitted on allocated sites within the development plan or in accordance with Policies RUR 2 to 5.
  • Development within the Green Belt will be considered against National Policy.

Category A Villages

Larger villages outside the Green Belt that have essential local services and facilities and often serve nearby smaller villages.

Regular public transport to main towns or local service centres.

 

 

 

Adderbury
Ambrosden
Bletchingdon (outside Green Belt only)
Bloxham
Bodicote
Deddington
Hook Norton
Launton
Steeple
Aston Yarnton*
  • Infill development
  • Minor development within the built-up limits of the settlement
  • Conversions Development beyond built up limits of the settlement only permitted on sites allocated within the development plan or in accordance with Policies RUR 2 to 5.

Category B Villages

Settlements that are geographically close to, or with good transport links to, villages and towns with a good range of services and facilities.

 

 

 

 

Kirtlington
Milton
Milcombe
Hempton
Clifton
Blackthorn
Arncott
Begbroke * (outside Green Belt only)
Great Bourton
Caversfield
Upper Heyford Middleton Stoney Wardington
South Newington Merton
Wendlebury Chesterton Middle Aston Lower Heyford

  • Infill development
  • Minor development within the built-up limits of the settlement.
  • Conversions.
  • Development beyond the built up limits of the settlement will only be permitted on small sites (less than 1 hectare) allocated within the development plan. Such sites should only meet local housing needs and be proportionate in scale and be sympathetic to the form and character of the settlement.
  • Development in accordance with Policies RUR 2 to 5.

 

 

 

Category C Villages

Generally smaller villages containing only a limited number of services and facilities. Poor/irregular access to public transport.

 

All other villages
  • Infill development
  • Minor development within the built-up limits of the settlement.
  • Conversions.
  • Development in accordance with Policies RUR 2 to 5.

* Settlements inset within the Green Belt

Key Diagram – Cherwell’s Spatial Strategy

Key diagram - Cherwell's Spatial Strategy. For help with this map contact Planning Policy

Key Diagram – Cherwell’s Spatial Strategy