News
Council gets South East Plan changed to protect land on its border with Reading
Release date: Mar 2, 2006
Threat lifted from parishes in the southern part of the district...
Leader of South Oxfordshire District Council, Ann Ducker, yesterday successfully persuaded the South East England Regional Assembly (SEERA) to make a last minute change to the South East Plan to exclude any part of South Oxfordshire from the development area known as the Western Corridor and Blackwater Valley. This will lift the threat of development from a number of parishes in the southern part of the district.
At its meeting on the 1 March, SEERA was signing off the South East Plan, the document that sets out broad development proposals for the region up to 2026. Most development is focused on a series of sub-regional areas throughout the region of which the Western Corridor and Blackwater Valley is one. This sub-region covers a corridor along the M4 motorway stretching from Slough in the east to Newbury in the west. The boundary incorporated a small part of South Oxfordshire covering all or part of the seven parishes of Binfield Heath, Mapledurham, Harpsden, Kidmore End, Eye and Dunsden, Shiplake and Whitchurch.
Cllr Ducker, who represents the district council on SEERA, submitted a motion drawing its attention to the fact that the South East Plan proposed no development in that part of South Oxfordshire within the Western Corridor and Blackwater Valley sub-region. She argued therefore that it made sense to redraw the boundary to align with the county boundary. This would provide peace of mind for the residents living in the area by removing any risk that development proposals might emerge later. The motion was carried by 44 votes to 29.
Cllr Ducker says:
"I am absolutely delighted to have persuaded SEERA to change its Plan. I felt like David taking on Goliath but was delighted with the widespread support I received from colleagues across the region to make a small change but one that will bring great relief to residents in the southern part of South Oxfordshire. As a Council, we set out to provide leadership for our local communities and yesterday was a real example of how we can deliver that.
"For three years whilst the South East Plan has been put together, we have argued that it made no sense to include any of our district in the Western Corridor area. Finally, others have listened to our arguments and SEERA has taken a very sensible decision. We must now be vigilant to ensure that the new boundary remains in place as the Plan passes from SEERA to the Deputy Prime Minister, who will ultimately decide what is included."
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