Oxford Local Plan 2042 Regulation 18 (Preferred Options) Consultation

Overview

Oxford City Council is seeking views on the latest stage of the Oxford Local Plan 2042.  The Regulation 18 consultation stage is the first of two statutory consultation stages for the Local Plan.  This stage provides the main opportunity to consider and comment on the options for policies that will make up the local plan.  This consultation is a comprehensive and provides the opportunity to comment on all the policy options.  For each of policy area we will highlight the preferred option, which is what we consider will bring about the most beneficial outcome for a particular subject area, alongside the alternative approaches.  

If you prefer a quicker option, you may wish to consider responding to our Shorter Consultation, which is linked below.

Previous Consultation Stage

This consultation also follows on from the recent preengagement survey.  The Responses showed strong support for the Local Plan's objectives with respect to delivering affordable housing, green space protection, and ambitious climate action. Respondents favoured using brownfield sites and emphasized sustainable infrastructure and community wellbeing. Overall, the feedback highlights the need for a Local Plan that balances growth with sustainability and protects Oxford’s unique character.

Why your views matter

The consultation presents the best opportunity to influence the content and scope of the policies in the plan, and potentially bring to our attention areas we may have overlooked, before it progresses to a more advanced stage.  Your feedback will be vital for us to take into consideration while we refine the policies into their finalised form.

What happens next

The submitted responses will be reviewed and the feedback will assist us to refine the preferred policy options and address any identified gaps.   A consultation summary will be published in due course, summarising the findings and will include officer responses as required.

We will carry out further work developing the preferred options into a finalised draft of the Local Plan, which will be subject to the next statutory (Regulation 19) consultation stage currently expected to take place in Autumn 2025.  The anticipated timescales are contained in the Local Development Scheme and we will also publish updates on our webpages.