Both Cherwell and West Oxfordshire District Councils continue to approve planning applications, including many outside any adopted or emerging local plans, in an attempt to meet the unrealistic development targets set by the former Housing Minister, Angela Rayner. Much of this is driven by the fear of costly and often successful planning appeals if applications are refused, because of the ‘tilted balance’ which applies when a council cannot show a five‑year housing land supply. National policy then favours approving development over following the Local Plan, making it far harder to resist speculative applications even when infrastructure is already under strain.
This approach is fuelling over‑development, but without the infrastructure our communities rely on. Across North and West Oxfordshire, residents, action groups, and Conservative councillors are raising serious concerns about proposals that outpace the capacity of our roads, schools, GP surgeries, and sewage systems.
Key areas under pressure
- Bicester Area / Heyford Park. Major proposals, including the Heyford Park New Town, a railway freight interchange, extensive warehousing, and a large theme park, are generating serious concern. Residents fear these plans will overwhelm already fragile infrastructure, particularly narrow rural roads and local services.
- Banbury and surrounding villages. Communities such as Hanwell, Bloxham, and Hook Norton are experiencing mounting pressure from continuous housing growth. This is leading to congestion, overstretched services, and reduced environmental resilience. Conservative councillors, including Councillor Ian Harwood, have raised repeated objections due to insufficient infrastructure, weak transport links, and environmental constraints.
Water infrastructure and environmental risk
A major concern is the lack of investment and action from Thames Water, which is directly affecting our rivers and waterways.
- Thames Water’s failure to upgrade sewage works has become a county-wide bottleneck, delaying around 18,000 homes across Oxfordshire.
- The Environment Agency has objected to further development until upgrades are completed, citing an unacceptable risk of pollution to local waterways.
What North Oxfordshire Conservatives want to see
- An ‘infrastructure‑first’ planning strategy where new developments only proceed when investment in roads, schools, health services, and utilities is secured upfront.
- Action on unspent developer contributions. Councillor Kieron Mallon has exposed the fact that Oxfordshire County Council is holding a huge backlog of unspent ‘Section 106’ developer funds, estimated at more than £278 million, and the highest total reported by any council in a recent Freedom of Information request. These contributions are meant to deliver roads, schools, transport and community infrastructure linked to new housing, yet their value is being steadily eroded by inflation while they remain unused.