Panel workshop discusses how good growth can help improve Oxfordshire’s quality of life in future
Nearly 80 people gathered at a panel workshop last week to give their views on how good growth can help create a better Oxfordshire in 2050.
The event on Friday 24 May saw passionate discussion and debate over six key topics:
- Natural environment
- Climate change
- Placemaking
- Connectivity
- Economy
- Growth scenarios
The room was filled with representatives from a wide range of sectors and interests across the county and were invited by the Oxfordshire Plan 2050 team.
The Plan is part of the £215m Housing & Growth Deal agreed by the Oxfordshire Growth Board with the Government and is being formed by all Oxfordshire’s authorities.
It will set out aspirations for the county’s future and consider how best to deliver new homes and infrastructure and other improvements to achieve these for a better quality of life for all.
Speaking at the event, Councillor James Mills – leader of West Oxfordshire District Council and chair of the Oxfordshire Plan 2050 Member Sub-group – reaffirmed the unanimous commitment from the leaders of all Oxfordshire’s authorities to produce a spatial plan for the county.
He added they all recognised the benefits the Plan will bring such as improving housing availability and affordability, keeping Oxfordshire’s economy strong and improving our transport network.
And they understood the importance of the Plan in trying to tackle climate change and protecting the county’s natural and cultural environment.
More than 1,000 responses were to the different questions posed during the event and these will help inform the Plan-making process as it moves forward.