THERE is much discussion at the present time about the details of the new local plans for the Vale and South Oxfordshire in relation to housing developments. It is instructive to look at how the previous local plans turned out.

Both councils agreed local plans in 2006, to be implemented in detail in the period 2006-2011. What happened?

The Vale were useless in not developing the large Grove airfield development of 2,500 housing units and even today no agreement, known as a Section 106 agreement, has been signed between the Vale, the county and the developers.

It is expected that the agreement when signed will provide for 750 units of social rented housing and 50 of shared ownership, a total of 32 per cent affordable housing of the 2,500.

It is less than the 40 per cent which is Vale policy, but at least the 750 social rented units will bring relief to many households in need on the Vale’s housing register.

The situation in South Oxfordshire is interesting. The Great Western Park development in Didcot is underway with over 600 of the 3,300 housing units completed.

However, the deal struck in the Section 106 agreement is an absolute disgrace.

The total amount of affordable housing is at most 30 per cent, which is less than the 40 per cent that was South Oxfordshire’s policy, and a mere eight per cent has to be social rented, whereas the South Oxfordshire policy was for the majority of the affordable housing to be social rented.

I believe that senior officers of the shared Vale and South Oxfordshire management team should be asked to explain themselves in relation to the non-delivery of the Grove airfield development, and the terrible deal struck over social rented housing in the case of South Oxfordshire.

Dr Les Clyne, Mattock Way, Abingdon

Today’s letters

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