Draft Local Plan October 2012

Strengths

Weaknesses

• Central, accessible location
• High quality environment - landscape, built heritage and biodiversity
• Strong sense of place
• Generally good place to live with a high quality of life
• Strong and articulate community groups
• Generally vibrant town centres, particularly Witney
• Strong and diverse local economy including many small businesses, specialisms in high-tech manufacturing and engineering plus RAF Brize Norton
• Relatively skilled workforce with no major skills gaps although perhaps lacking in some technical skills
• Relatively low unemployment
• No significant areas of dereliction
• Oxfordshire Cotswolds - important tourism sector with nationally important attractions
• Good variety of formal and informal leisure opportunities

• Out-commuting and reliance on the private car and rural road network
• Severe traffic congestion in Witney and on Oxford approach roads, particularly A40 east of Witney
• Air quality problems within Witney and Chipping Norton
• Limited public transport, particularly in more rural areas. Also main towns not directly served by rail
• Limited opportunities for safe travel by foot or cycle outside main towns
• Disturbance from activity at RAF Brize Norton
• House prices higher than national average and very high in some areas with a predominance of larger properties
• Some rural areas have poor access to services and facilities plus trend for loss/closure of rural services
• Limited access to high speed broadband
• Small pockets of rural poverty with lower wages for workers in West Oxon compared to those travelling to work elsewhere
• Generally limited or no spare capacity in existing primary schools
• Many areas and communities affected by flooding, particular in the south of the District.

Opportunities

Challenges

• New development to help secure increased affordable housing provision as well as new supporting infrastructure, including green infrastructure
• To attract additional inward investment and achieve a more self-contained local economy
• Further investment at RAF Brize Norton
• Capitalising on and contributing to the Oxfordshire high tech economy
• Improvements in internet and mobile phone technology
• New sustainable construction methods and renewable energy schemes
• Investment in town centres
• Biodiversity Conservation Target Areas
• Biomass and woodland management
• Sustainable drainage schemes to reduce flood risk
• Provision of new green infrastructure through after-use of mineral working
• Provision of primary road connection between Carterton/RAF Brize Norton and the A40
• Improvements in public transport, walking and cycling facilities to help reduce the use of the private car
• Further develop the District's tourism offer
• Further develop the role of the Thames for leisure and recreation

• An ageing population
• Meeting the needs of local communities with access to services and facilities whilst maintaining West Oxfordshire's high environmental quality
• Provision of new housing to meet the needs of smaller households and an older population
• Delivery of an increased supply of affordable housing
• Reduction in our higher than average carbon footprint
• Reducing dependence upon travel by private car including long distance travel to nearby urban centres and London
• Pressures from growth centres close to West Oxfordshire
• Climate change - extreme weather events
• Flood risk
• Water scarcity
• Use of Greenfield land to meet development needs
• Satisfactorily accommodating and benefitting from the expansion of RAF Brize Norton
• Modernisation of older employment stock
• Supporting the agricultural sector and diversification of the rural economy
• Mitigating the impacts of sand and gravel extraction
• Roll out of high speed broadband in rural areas