• Following the consultation on the Regulation 18 Plan, a site options assessment will be undertaken using a series of steps to enable the 'Broad Areas of Growth' to be identified, taking account of current local plan allocations, new development proposals and opportunities for enhancement. This evaluation will involve testing of site options against the Oxfordshire Plan evidence-base using consistent data and baseline information.

• Consideration will also be given to the strategic interventions required to deliver each spatial strategy option and the testing of each option against different scales of growth.

• As noted in the section on the level of ‘committed growth’, a decision will also be taken as to where on the OGNA range the level of growth to be accommodated should be set at the end of 2021. This will take account of the level of 'committed' growth already met in the five adopted local plans from 2020 to 2031/5/6 onwards and thus consider a 'residual growth' figure for the 2031/5/6 period to 2050.

• We anticipate that the Regulation 19 Plan will contain a mix of the five spatial options.

The assessment of site proposals in the period between Regulation 18 and 19 will also need to take account of the MHCLG-led Arc Spatial Framework as it emerges. It is possible that there may be growth requirements to be considered from that source.

STEP 1:

(September 2021) Identify high-level spatial strategy options for distributing growth in Oxfordshire.

STEP 2:

Testing of each of the high-level spatial strategy options, including Oxfordshire's growth requirements, opportunities & constraints.

This step will include the assessment of sites and will combine consideration of urban renewal and brownfield potential, the use of the HEELA and settlement capacity analysis, climate change and environmental enhancement opportunities, transport factors and issues arising from the Sustainability Appraisal (SA) and Habitats Regulation Assessment (HRA), as well as reviewing the link to the Strategic Vision and Plan Objectives. The assessment will be published as part of the evidence base for the Regulation 19 Plan.

STEP 3:

Selection of Spatial Strategy.

STEP 4:

Identification of areas of focus.

STEP 5:

Further testing of suitability, achievability, and deliverability to establish development capacity and sustainability of approach for Oxfordshire.

STEP 6:

Confirm broad locations for growth (and any phasing) for the Oxfordshire Plan and each District.

STEP 7:

(December 2021) Confirm level of growth within the OGNA range.

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1. The conclusion of these steps will inform the 'broad locations of growth' that will be presented for consultation in the Regulation 19 Draft Oxfordshire Plan

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