JOINT HENLEY AND HARSPDEN NEIGHBOURHOOD PLAN

The Joint Henley and Harpsden Neighbourhood Plan was adopted by South Oxfordshire District Council in April 2016. This was the result of several years work by numerous residents and set out development sites in the two parishes. As South Oxfordshire District Council has a revised Local Plan, it is necessary for the Joint Henley and Harpsden Neighbourhood Plan to be reviewed. This is an opportunity to consider where it is possible to improve upon the existing Neighbourhood Plan.

The Localism Act 2011 gave local communities the statutory power to produce Neighbourhood Plans. This provides the community with the chance to create policies that will affect the location of future development.

The Neighbourhood Plan Committee is updating the 2016 Joint Henley and Harpsden Neighbourhood Plan. This will let local people have a further say in how Henley and Harpsden are going to develop until 2035.  

​Neighbourhood plans play an important role in deciding whether planning applications should be approved or refused. 

WHY DOES IT NEED UPDATING?

The National Planning Policy Framework (para 33 NPPF February 2019) states that policies in local plans and spatial development strategies should be reviewed to assess whether they need updating at least once every five years. Reviews at least every five years are a legal requirement for all local plans (Regulation 10A of the Town and Country Planning (Local Planning) (England) Regulations 2012). Neighbourhood plans should support the delivery of strategic policies contained in local plans or spatial development strategies; and should shape and direct development that is outside of these strategic policies. (para 13 NPPF February 2019)

The review is necessary due to the requirements set out in the new South Oxfordshire District Council Local Plan which was adopted in December 2020. This includes delivery of new homes and employment land, meeting affordable housing needs and addressing environmental issues such as air quality. If Henley and Harpsden do not review the existing Neighbourhood Plan, the District Council can decide where development should happen in the parishes, rather than residents being able to contribute to the decision.

The review provides an opportunity to improve upon the existing Neighbourhood Plan and to bring it into line with the both the Town and District Council’s declaration of a Climate Emergency.

MEMBERS OF NEIGHBOURHOOD PLAN COMMITTEE IN APRIL 2019

Ken Arlett – Henley Town Councillor & Chairman

Laurence Plant – Henley Town Councillor & Vice Chairman 

Ian Clark – Henley Town Councillor

Glen Lambert – Henley Town Councillor

Michelle Thomas – Henley Town Councillor

Kester George – Chairman of Harpsden Parish Council

Matt Leeman – Harpsden Parish Councillor 

Don Barraclough – resident

Rebecca Chandler Wilde – resident

Joan Clark – resident

Patrick Fleming – Greener Henley 

Geoff Luckett – resident

Jackie Walker – resident

David Whitehead – resident​

WHAT IS THE PROCESS?

The Neighbourhood Planning process is shown below: 

  • Site options and draft policies exhibition –  Completed July 2021
  • Prepare a draft Neighbourhood Plan based on the views of residents and stakeholders and the evidence gathered – Completed July 2021 – September 2021
  • Consult residents and other stakeholders on the draft plan – Completed September 2021
  • Submit the Plan to South Oxfordshire District Council for publication and a further
    six-week public consultation will take place before it is sent to an Independent Examiner.
  • The Examiner will firstly consider whether the proposed modifications are significant or
    substantial as to change the nature of the plan. Where material modifications do not change
    the nature of the plan (and the examiner finds that the proposal meets the basic conditions,
    or would with further modifications) a referendum will not be required.
  • The Examiner will firstly consider whether the proposed modifications are significant or
    substantial as to change the nature of the plan. Where material modifications do not change
    the nature of the plan (and the examiner finds that the proposal meets the basic conditions,
    or would with further modifications) a referendum will not be required.
  • Where material modifications do change the nature of the plan, the district council would
    publicise and consider the examiner’s report in line with the procedure for making a new neighbourhood plan. The district council would then be required to decide whether to proceed to referendum so that, if the referendum is successful, the modified neighbourhood plan becomes part of the development plan.

South Oxfordshire District Council will continue to be responsible for determining planning applications, but the policies in the Neighbourhood Plan will be used to make those decisions.