SHIELD Newsletter January 2019

Chalgrove Airfield Action Group
“Don’t duck the issue” .
January 2019
Web site: chalgroveshield.org.uk
Local Plan FINAL consultation!
Here we go again. We have asked you so many times to respond
to these, but this may be the most important one of all. Everything
we have done so far has fed into the Local Plan, and we have
had real success in pushing SODC to make significant changes; in
particular moving Chalgrove from being the top strategic site,
down to 6th position (out of 8). This time, every single response
you make will also go to the Inspector along with the Local Plan,
and ultimately, the Inspector will decide whether the Plan is sound
or not.
We ALL need to respond, and show
SODC that Chalgrove is not going to
roll over and just accept this flawed
plan.
We have already achieved a lot:
• Helped secure a review of the
previous draft Local Plan, which
resulted in Chalgrove moving from
1st to 6th place in the ranking of
strategic sites for housing
• An NDP with 320 houses for
Chalgrove, including affordable
housing.
• Secured the vocal and written
support of Martin-Baker
• Submitted hundreds of responses to
SODC, resulting in rejection of the original Local Plan
• Fought off 2 Heads of Land at Homes England
• Fought off the original lead Consultants
• Fought off the previous Leader of SODC
• We need one more big push!
The Timetable
If we keep asking, surely the
people of Chalgrove will give up!
Timeline
It’s been 3 years since we
started our campaign and so
much has been achieved.
April 2016: SODC plans
revealed
August – September 2016: 16
Public meetings
January 2017: Enquiry by
design
April 2017: 1 st draft Local plan
published with Chalgrove as
the highest priority.
Summer 2017: GVA
Bilfinger(Consultants for
Homes England) lose their
contract. David Warburton
replaced.
September 2017: 2 nd draft
Local Plan published, still with
Chalgrove as the highest
priority.
March 2018: Local Plan
rejected by SODC. Cllr Cotton
resigns as leader
December 2018: 3 rd Draft
Local Plan published with
Chalgrove now only 6 th in
priority.
January 2019: new
consultation starts now.
18 th February 2019:
Consultation deadline
March 2019: Plans and your
responses to be submitted to
the inspector.
Summer 2019: Enquiry in
public to approve or reject
the plan.
The Consultation closes February 18th
SODC, have now published the latest version of the plan – you can find this on their website via the
“Planning and building” link on the home page, and then the Local Plan 2033 consultation link on that
page.
What SODC refers to at the “publicity period” starts now, and is open until the 18 th of February.
SODC are arranging Drop In events over the next six weeks. Chalgrove hosts one on 7 th February, 4pm to
8pm in the Village Hall.
SHIELD will hold our own Drop In sessions on Friday 25 th January 7-9:30pm and Sunday 27 th January 10am –
4pm where you can come and speak to our team to clarify any questions and get ideas on how to
respond.
chalgroveshield.org.uk facebook.com/chalgroveshield contactus@chalgroveshield.org.uk

How to respond
Please use the Comments Form that SODC have made available on their
website (SHIELD will provide paper copies at our drop in sessions) Using the
form will make it easier for the Inspector to review, but if you prefer to write
a letter, SODC must also acknowledge and submit them to the Planning
Inspector as well. The SODC policy that refers to Chalgrove is STRAT 7; in the
previous version of the plan, this was STRAT 9, so if you intend to re-use your
previous comments, please update the reference!
The key elements of the Local Plan that refer to Chalgrove start at
Paragraph 4.61 on page 44, and runs through to page 49. There have been
some amendments to the wording of these paragraphs, influenced in part
due by your previous responses, so please read them carefully.
Most Importantly, an independent planning inspector will be appointed to
oversee this examination and will consider the Plan and the comments
submitted about it. Partly based on the answers given, the inspector will
make a decision on 3 key points: whether the Local Plan is “sound”, “legally
compliant” and if it complies with the “duty to cooperate”. (These terms
are explained further in an SODC Guidance Note which will be available at
our drop in sessions. SODC also have a YouTube video linked via their
website.) The planning inspector will give more weight to comments that
relate to these 3 key points, but you are indeed free to comment on any
aspect of the plan and the associated evidence.
Please, be factual in your responses, and give valid reasons, such as the risk
of flooding, the lack of infrastructure, the presence of Martin-Baker on the
site etc. Let’s keep the emotion out of our responses: simply saying “we
don’t want it” will be ignored by the inspector – please explain in detail
‘why’ you don’t want it.
Don’t miss this
chance to influence
the future of
Chalgrove!
If you, or your children,
wrote letters to SODC
before, or to Martin-
Baker, you can edit and
re-send them to SODC as
part of this latest
consultation. Nothing
that we have sent in so
far will go to the
Inspector – it is ONLY
responses to this
consultation that will be
submitted.
PLEASE DO RESPOND.
See below for more
details.
Factors to consider:
• Homes England has stated that they are “working with” Martin-Baker.
However, Martin-Baker broke off all negotiations with Homes England at
the end of 2017 – this stance remains unchanged today.
• Compulsory Purchase of a site requires “necessity” and “public interest”
to be served. The new Local Plan includes thousands more houses than
are actually needed so there is no necessity, and the closure of Martin-
Baker’s operations at Chalgrove is not in the public interest.
• Martin-Baker has stated in public that they cannot relocate to another
suitable airfield, and that any housing on the site would not be
compatible with their business. The simple fact is that it is dangerous to
build houses next to an active runway, regardless of how you dress that
up
• The removal of the B480 bypass will force all traffic in the area to travel
through the new town centre and create a rat run through our High
Street.
These are just a few, so please come and talk to us at one of our drop-in
sessions for more information, or email us: contactus@chalgroveshield.org.uk
About the Chalgrove Airfield Action Group
Thank you. Make sure your
views and opinions are shared
with the Inspector and
encourage everyone you know
in the village to do the same.
Together we really can make a
difference.
Following the announcement of Chalgrove Airfield being South Oxfordshire District Council’s preferred option for a
New Town, the Chalgrove Airfield Action Group formed with the primary purpose of supporting Chalgrove’s
response to the consultation. Our mission now is to help Chalgrove and surrounding villages and hamlets to find
sustainable alternatives to excessive local development. We want to ensure that our elderly residents and children
not only have access to affordable homes, but also have somewhere to live that provides a safe environment
without excessive and unnecessary traffic and associated pollution.
chalgroveshield.org.uk facebook.com/chalgroveshield contactus@chalgroveshield.org.uk