The Liberal Democrat-led West Oxfordshire District Council has come under fire after it emerged that they are refusing to publish the draft list of housing sites proposed in the Local Plan review until after the crucial County Council elections on Thursday 1st May.
Conservative councillors have slammed the move, accusing the Lib Dem leadership of hiding their plans to concrete over large parts of West Oxfordshire from residents. They warn that communities like Carterton, Brize Norton, and Minster Lovell are facing the threat of thousands of new houses being imposed on them — all behind closed doors.
Cllr Michele Mead, Leader of the Conservative Group at West Oxfordshire District Council, said: “This is a disgraceful cover-up by the Liberal Democrats. Residents have a right to know what’s being planned for their communities — not after the elections, but before they cast their votes. People deserve honesty and transparency, not decisions being made behind closed doors to suit political convenience.”
Deputy Conservative Group Leader Cllr Liam Walker added: “The Liberal Democrats are trying to concrete all over West Oxfordshire in secret. They know that if residents in places like Carterton, Brize Norton, and Minster Lovell saw the scale of what’s being proposed, they would be furious. This is about trust — and the Lib Dems are failing the people they were elected to serve.”
The Conservatives have previously called on the administration at West Oxfordshire District Council to publish the list of potential sites before the election so residents can properly scrutinise the proposals before important decisions are made that will impact their communities for generations to come.
In February responding to a question submitted by Cllr Liam Walker, the District Councils Executive Member for Planning, Cllr Hugo Ashton, said: The next stage of Regulation 18 which is scheduled to take place in May 2025, will comprise a ‘preferred options’ consultation. This will set out a series of draft policies and will include potential areas/sites which the Council considers to be potentially suitable for development. The May consultation will be accompanied by a comprehensive site assessment which outlines which sites are considered to be suitable and why and conversely, which sites are considered to be unsuitable and why. The list of proposed areas/sites will then be refined as the plan reaches the Regulation 19 publication stage later in the year taking account of consultation responses received and supporting technical evidence."
`Given the importance of overdevelopment in West Oxfordshire the Conservative leadership at West Oxfordshire District Council have decided to publish the potential housing sites which can be found here.
