Bloxham Parish Council is aware of mis-information which has been circulating in the village regarding the Draft Modified Bloxham Neighbourhood Plan and would like residents to be aware of the following:
1. The Parish Council has correctly followed the process set out in law (Localism Act 2011) for the Regulation 14 consultation regarding the review of the Neighbourhood Plan. In brief, the steps are:
a) Plan is drafted;
b) the community is consulted;
c) the Plan is amended where appropriate, following that consultation process and questions/queries are clarified;
d) the Plan (including any amendments) will be submitted to Cherwell District Council (CDC) for a further consultation exercise undertaken by CDC;
e) the Plan is submitted to an Inspector for Independent examination; and
f) finally, a Parish Referendum.
2. Other guidance may be available relating to Neighbourhood Plans, but the Council has followed the law in the Localism Act 2011 and the Neighbourhood Planning Regulations. The Parish Council has very limited powers in terms of planning, but a Neighbourhood Plan gives some authority for shaping the future of the village, which would otherwise be decided on a piecemeal basis as each planning application comes forward.
3. When the process to review the Plan commenced, there were 14 sites which had been submitted to Cherwell District Council, and which landowners wished to be considered for development. If all these sites obtain planning permission, it would equate to more than 800 houses being built on the outskirts of the village. This is why a Neighbourhood Plan, with an allocated preferred site, is important as it reduces the risk of a large number of speculative developments obtaining approval. Currently the chances of applications being approved is relatively high, due to CDC’s lack of a five year housing land supply and the fact that the current Bloxham Neighbourhood Plan and CDC’s Local Plan are both more than five years old.
4. Following professional guidance and advice, the site selected as the preferred site was number 1 from Cherwell District Council’s HELAA Report, which is land east of Tadmarton Road, which could accommodate up to 125 houses. The reasons for choosing this site are set out in the draft Plan which is available on the Parish Council’s web site – see Appendix 1. https://www.bloxhamparishcouncil.gov.uk/bloxham-neighbourhood-development-plan.php
5. Hobb Hill, as it is known locally, only forms part of the preferred site. The Parish Council has not submitted a planning application for Hobb Hill and nor has the landowner. The preferred site is titled ‘land east of Tadmarton Road, Bloxham’, which runs parallel with Courtington Lane. A location plan is shown in Appendix 1 to the Draft Plan and clearly shows that only the flat section at the bottom of Hobb Hill is within the preferred site.
6. Concerns have been raised about potential flooding if this site is developed. The Parish Council draws residents’ attention to the response from Thames Water to the consultation and the County Council’s Section 19 Report on the flooding in November 2024. Both documents are available on the Parish Council web site. After the deadline for responses to the consultation, the Parish Council will consider all representations, including those by Thames Water, and decide whether changes need to be made before submission to CDC.
7. With a Neighbourhood Plan in place, ‘Regulation 14′ of the National Planning Policy Framework will be in effect. This means that as the new Neighbourhood Plan will be less than five years old and contains policies and allocations to meet its identified housing requirement, the Plan will carry weight in CDC’s Planning Committee decisions and allows them to refuse applications for speculative planning applications not allocated in the Plan. Some weight can also be given to the Plan while it is in the process of being created the weight increases the further it proceeds along the process for completion (through the steps shown under point 1).
8. If the process of creating the Plan is delayed, developers of any site in the area can choose to submit a speculative application. The Draft Plan currently carries no additional planning weight, and applications could proceed without delivering the community benefits the village needs. Any such delay would also force the Council to identify a new preferred site in the Neighbourhood Plan, restarting the entire process.
9. The Council acknowledges that the Plan is currently still in draft form, but is mindful that if it is not progressed soon, including a preferred site, the village will be wide open to further speculative developments, in addition to those which already have permission on Ells Lane and South Newington Road and the likely approval of Quarry Close and Barford Road. The Council encourages all residents to take part in the Regulation 14 consultation so that as many residents’ views can be considered as possible.
10. To take part in the consultation:
Read the Draft Plan: https://www.bloxhamparishcouncil.gov.uk/bloxham-neighbourhood-development-plan.php
Paper copies can be found at: Bloxham Nursery & Tearoom; White Lion Café; and Adderbury Library
Fill in the online consultation: https://arcq.is/0qCPPa1
Or by email: bloxhamndp@bloxhamparishcouncil.gov.uk
Deadline to respond: Monday 15 September 2025