Oxford City Council and Environment Agency secure infrastructure for new homes
Oxford City Council has reported that a partnership between the Environment Agency and the City Council has secured the infrastructure needed to allow the development of around 18,000 new homes in and around Oxford, delivering change in the area in line with the Government’s ambition to unlock growth.
The move follows Government calls for growth-boosting measures and the delivery of homes and investment for local communities. It could form the blueprint to unlock a number of projects around the country where the right wastewater infrastructure is needed before development can go ahead.
The EA had previously challenged planning applications for new housing over concerns about sewage treatment capacity which posed a risk to water quality if developments had gone ahead as planned.
Following a rigorous process to find a solution to unlock the new homes, the EA, Oxford City Council and Thames Water have now agreed a scheme which can provide the capacity needed at the Sewage Treatment Works to allow for the occupation of development from 2027, in line with local plans.
Technical experts at the EA have ensured that Thames Water has now presented a clear, fully costed and funded programme of work, providing the confidence and certainty that water quality will be protected and communities in the area will have the water services they need, while allowing projected growth to come forward.
The EA will shortly be writing to Oxford City Council and other affected Local Planning Authorities with their revised advice.
At our Oxford 'Science Cities' forum in January Susan Brown, Leader of Oxford City Council was questioned over whether the new council housing coming over the next decade would serve all of Oxford's needs?
'This is all about our merging local plan and we have talked to employers about creating opportunities to build housing on their own land. Housing is so difficult here for many people with our constrained boundaries. To support our local economy we need wider boundaries and more housing of all sorts. We must help people in addition to council housing to get on the housing purchasing ladder.'
Image below: Cllr Susan Brown, Leader of Oxford City Council (second from right) joined our first panel discussion with Professor Rob Buckingham, Director of the UKAEA (Culham), Stuart Grant (Harwell Campus CEO and ARC Group), Nigel Tipple CEO of OxLEP / Enterprise Oxford, Heather Fearfield of Future Cities Forum. Cllr Ian Courts, Leader of Solihull Council and Board Director of the West Midlands Combined Authority, and Ed Hayden, Director of Scott Brownrigg
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