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The local area – its people, places and prosperity

The district

The District of South Oxfordshire covers nearly 260 square miles.  Its boundary reaches from the edge of the City of Oxford in the north-west along the borders of Buckinghamshire and Berkshire to the outskirts of Reading in the south.  It has four main towns: Didcot, Henley, Thame and Wallingford, with Didcot becoming increasingly dominant as the main urban centre.  Within 10 years, some 25 per cent of the district’s population will live in Didcot. Follow the link on the right to view a map of South Oxfordshire.

Much of the district is rural in nature, with the land in agricultural use.  The main exception to this is the southeast where the wooded Chiltern Hills rise sharply from the Thames Valley.  Most of the southern end of the district sits in either the Chilterns or North Wessex Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.  The northeast of the district forms part of the Oxford Green Belt.  In total, around 70% of the district has a green belt or AONB designation.

Population

The 2001 Census recorded a population of just over 128,000 in the district.  This was an increase of 7% since 1991.  The most notable increase in population over this period was in Didcot, which the Oxfordshire Structure Plan designates as a growth town.  The population in this town increased from 16,000 to 23,500; this will rise to 33,200 by 2011.  More than 50% of the district’s population lives outside its four main towns, scattered throughout the area in a range of large and small villages.

Economy

The district has a mixed economy with no over-reliance on any one employer.  Smaller rather than larger enterprises are typical.  There is very little heavy industry and an increasingly dominant service sector.  A significant proportion of the district’s population commutes to work outside the area, principally along to the M40/M4 road corridors to London and by rail from Didcot Parkway and Reading to London.

The current unemployment level in the district is just under 1%. Agriculture remains an important land use within the District, although the industry now directly employs only approximately 900 people.  Tourism plays an important part in the district’s economy, centring on the Thames and Chilterns. There are also important links to the surrounding tourist hot spots of Oxford, Windsor and the Cotswolds.  It provides an annual income to the district of approximately £150 million.

Three of our four towns, Henley, Thame and Wallingford, are traditional market towns, which act as local centres for their residents, the surrounding villages, and often for visitors travelling from further afield.  Didcot is the exception.  Despite significant housing growth over the last two decades, and some improvements to community facilities, the retail core had not expanded significantly and was inadequate for a town of Didcot’s size.  Recognising this, the Council has worked with a private sector partner for a number of years to build a new retail centre, a cinema and arts centre. To find out more about the economy of the ditrict and its four towns follow the link on the right for economic development.