Oxford Local Plan 2042 Regulation 18 (Preferred Options) Consultation

Preferred option:

Attempt to meet employment needs, but prioritise other uses, in particular housing, rather than employment, even if employment needs cannot be met in full within the city, recognising that existing sites in lawful commercial use cannot be changed from that use against the landowner’s will, so intensification on those sites is appropriate.   

Alternative Option 1: Focus employment strategy on meeting all identified employment land needs within Oxford’s boundary. Do not seek to prioritise other uses if employment need cannot be met. Actively investigate ways to meet employment land needs within the city through providing appropriately located employment land/ new sites (if required).  

Alternative Option 2: Let the market decide the most appropriate employment land uses to deliver and actively support new locations for employment development if there is market demand for these spaces.    

Rely on the Framework (NPPF) and other policies in the plan to determine applications for employment land in the city.   

Preferred Option:

Seek to meet employment land needs through appropriate modernisation and intensification of the city’s employment site network.  

Outside the city and district centres, protect a range of important employment sites that support the local and regional/ national economy.  Include criteria-based approach to the loss of employment sites.  

Take a flexible approach to the continued use of existing employment sites in highly sustainable locations (i.e., city and district centres). Consider inclusion of criteria to support decision-making process.

Alternative Option 1: Seek to meet employment land needs through appropriate modernisation and intensification of the city’s employment site network.   

 Protect the city’s most important employment sites, which are named in the plan, from loss to other uses.   

 Allow the loss of poorly performing sites to other priority uses e.g., housing).

Alternative Option 2:  Rely solely on national planning policy/ other policies in the plan.

Alternative Option 3: Protect all employment sites to support meeting identified employment land needs.   

Do not support the loss of employment uses on any existing employment site.    

 Encourage intensification and modernisation of employment sites across the network.   

Preferred Option:

Allow an element of housing delivery on existing employment sites (if other policy requirements are met (e.g., around flood risk).   

Alternative Option 1: Does not specifically allow an element of housing delivery on existing employment sites.   

Preferred Option:

Support new employment uses (through modernisation and intensification) at existing employment sites and sites specifically allocated for employment uses in the plan only.  Do not allow any new employment-generating uses outside of these locations (i.e., do not allow the loss of existing housing sites to employment-generating outside the city and district centres).   

 Allow new employment uses in the city and district centres (subject to their role and function). 

Alternative Option 1: As Preferred Option, but rather than restricting new employment-generating uses to existing sites, instead allow new employment uses, in a limited number of suitable specified locations (e.g., adjacent to exiting employment sites)  

 Depending on the location, there may be merit in requiring certain sites to bring forward a mixed-use expansion including residential). 

Alternative Option 2: Rely solely on national policy and other policies in the plan (e.g. hierarchy of centres) to determine proposals for new employment floorspace in the city.   

Preferred Option:

Where new B8 uses are allowed would be widened to enable support for the continued operation of locally recognised employment sites and those that support the national economy.  

 Loss of B8 uses would generally be supported unless the B8 use is essential for the ongoing support of sites on which new B8 uses are allowed.   

Introduce a specific exemption to enable the pilot of a suitably located freight consolidation centre.

Alternative Option 1: New B8 uses on sites not already lawful use are only allowed where the use is essential to the operation of a Cat 1 site   

 Loss of B8 uses generally supported unless B8 use is essential for the ongoing support of a Cat 1 site.  

Alternative Option 2: Further restrict new B8 uses so they are generally not supported at all.   

Alternative Option 3: Rely solely on national policy and other policies in the plan to assess applications for B8 uses in the city.   

Preferred Option:

Introduce a policy requiring applicants to submit a Community Employment and Procurement Plans alongside major development proposals, which also looks at the potential for engagement with training and education.

Alternative Option 1: Encourage applicants to submit a Community Employment and Procurement Plans alongside all major development proposals but do not make this a policy requirement.

Alternative Option 2 (considered detrimental): Do not encourage or require applicants to submit an Employment and Skills Plan.

Preferred Option:

Introduce a policy requirement for affordable workspaces to be delivered as a percentage of all large commercial development (in Use Class E).

Alternative Option 1: Introduce text in the local plan encouraging employers to deliver affordable workspace in the city.  

Alternative Option 2 (considered detrimental): Do not incorporate the concept of affordable workspace in the Local Plan.   

Preferred Option:

Allow new sites for tourism and other short-stay accommodation in the city and district centres, on allocated sites and on Oxford’s main arterial roads only.  

Alternative Option 1: Allow new short stay accommodation in the city and district centres, and on allocated sites only. 

Alternative Option 2 (considered detrimental): Support new short stay accommodation anywhere in Oxford.  

Alternative Option 3 (considered detrimental): Outside of the city and district centres, seek to resist new short-stay accommodation anywhere in the city. 

Alternative Option 4 (considered detrimental): Do not include a policy on new short stay accommodation in the city.  Instead rely on national policy to delivery new short stay accommodation in the city.   

Preferred Option: 

Allow the expansion of existing short-stay accommodation providing certain criteria are met.   

Seek to protect existing accommodation and allow loss only if specified criteria are met (i.e., by providing viability evidence or if the location is not one where new short stay accommodation would be allowed).  

Alternative Option 1: Do not include a policy protecting existing short-stay accommodation in the city and instead rely on other policies in the plan and national planning policies.