4.2 Land use – rural and urban

Land for new development within Oxfordshire is scarce, and continues to be valuable to a wide range of stakeholders including businesses, residents and visitors alike. In the face of these competing demands planners will need to continue taking a strategic approach in order to support economic development while sustaining the quality of Oxfordshire’s highly valued natural and built environments.

In rural areas planning policy will need to take account of the new agricultural and horticultural infrastructure requirements, in order that the countryside is well managed. The Government’s Rural White Paper (2000) encourages an holistic approach to proposed development and change affecting agricultural land, with a view to protecting character, biodiversity and soil quality.

In order to reduce pressure for the development of green field sites, the proportion of dwellings built on previously developed land will need to increase from 49% in 1996 to 2001 to the national and regional target of 60% by 2008.

Data from the 2001 Census shows that Oxfordshire is an unusually self-contained economy. Of the 315,000 jobs in Oxfordshire, 264,600 were filled by people living in the County - 84% of the resident working population. This reduces potential traffic congestion and pollution, and has a positive impact upon people’s standard of living. Planning the distribution of housing and employment growth in a way that reduces potential traffic will continue to be a key aim of spatial planners in the years to come.