On Friday 28 September 2018 a preliminary hearing was held as part of the examination of the Cherwell Local Plan 2011 – 2031 (Part 1) Partial Review – Oxford’s Unmet Housing Need.
The Inspector, Paul Griffiths, had directed a preliminary hearing to consider:
- Working through the ‘working assumption’ that Oxford has an unmet need of 15,000 homes (which became 14,850), based on an overall housing requirement for the city to 2031 of 28,000, is the apportionment of 4,400 homes of Oxford’s overall unmet need to Cherwell soundly based?
- Assuming that figure of 4,400 is soundly based, and bearing in mind paragraph 83 of the (previous version of the) NPPF, can Oxford’s unmet housing be an ‘exceptional circumstance’ that justifies an alteration to Green Belt boundaries?
James Maurici QC appeared for The Tripartite comprising the University of Oxford, Merton College and a local landowner – the owners of the majority of a site allocated by Policy PR8 (instructed by David Lock Associates).
Rupert Warren QC appeared for the University of Oxford, Merton College, Exeter College and the Trustees of the Water Eaton Estate owners of the sites allocated as PR6a and PR6b (instructed by Savills).
Charles Banner appeared for Merton College owners of the site allocated as PR8 (instructed by Gerald Eve).
For press coverage please see
here.
