CPRE Oxfordshire
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cpreoxfordshire.bsky.social
CPRE Oxfordshire
@cpreoxfordshire.bsky.social
260 followers 210 following 80 posts
Oxfordshire branch of the Countryside Charity. Working to improve, protect and preserve our countryside for the benefit of all. www.cpreoxon.org.uk
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9. Promote Cross-Boundary Collaboration on Countryside Issues
Rural concerns don't stop at administrative borders. New governance must promote cooperation across communities on issues like housing targets, biodiversity corridors, flood management, and rural transport networks.
8. Local Food Security
Support should be given to regenerative farming and local food production that sustains the countryside and reduces environmental impact. Policy should reinforce the role farming has in rural Oxfordshire on feeding and supporting its population sustainably
7. Respect the Distinctiveness of Rural Communities
Governance reforms should respect the identity, needs, and character of rural settlements. Rural communities must not be sidelined, their voices need a strong and permanent seat at the table in shaping future decisions.
6. Guarantee Fair Funding and Resources for Rural Areas
Rural communities must not be disadvantaged in access to services, infrastructure, or investment. Devolution settlements should not be based purely on population size but on the services required.
5. Ensure Democratic Accountability and Local Involvement
Devolution must not dilute local democratic input, especially from parishes and communities in rural areas. We need more, not less, community involvement. Councils should commit to meaningful and ongoing public engagement.
4. Protect the Green Belt and National Landscapes
The Green Belt and designated landscapes must remain safeguarded from inappropriate development. Reorganisation must not be used as a pretext to weaken protections or shift planning boundaries to favour growth over conservation
3. Deliver Sustainable and Affordable Development
Sustainable and genuinely affordable development should be promoted in line with net zero goals and nature recovery.
2. Champion Strategic Planning
We need joined up county wide strategic planning that will alleviate historic issues to Oxford’s unmet housing need. Any new combined authority or devolved structure should operate with transparency.
1. Prioritise Protection of the Countryside
New council structures and devolved powers must embed a duty to protect the rural environment including landscapes, biodiversity, green spaces, and heritage. Green Belt and BMV land should be developed only as a last resort.
"The new guidelines seem to be so vague, you could argue that many areas - if not all areas around Oxfordshire - could be considered grey belt, and therefore open to development."
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Villagers warn of new 'grey belt' rules after Noke planning fight
Farmland near Noke village is reclassified as
www.bbc.co.uk
Last week we met with @freddievanmierlomp.bsky.social for his assurances that he will help to #protectthecountryside in the current push for development and growth at all costs. The current rhetoric of builders vs blockers threatens our most precious resource in the fight against climate change.
Last week I joined residents and campaigners in Sonning Common for a local climate lobby, part of the national Act Now, Change Forever campaign.
It was a thoughtful, honest conversation about what climate action means here in our community — and what more we need to do.
Thanks for your time and energy @freddievanmierlomp.bsky.social. We are lucky to have such an active and passionate community
Meanwhile, their original community benefit proposal started out at £50,000 - about the same as nearby community project Southhill Solar, despite being 150 times smaller. Following pressure from local groups they have increased their offering but it's still nowhere near comparable
Their own brochure states "We believe that solar panels are problematic, in terms of achieving a good appearance from the
public realm."
See page 14 www.blenheimestate.com/assets/files...
www.blenheimestate.com
Having refused to put solar panels on the 300 new houses at their Park View development, they now propose to cover 880 hectares of classic English countryside - 75% of which is in the #GreenBelt.
Oxfordshire hit with a hosepipe ban despite reservoir levels being at 95% capacity. Meanwhile Thames Water lost 200 billion litres of water last year alone through water leaks - equivalent to 570 million litres a day!

www.oxfordmail.co.uk/news/2531839...
Oxfordshire hosepipe ban raises reservoir question as London let off lightly
Oxfordshire residents are being hit with a hosepipe ban despite our reservoir levels being at greater capacity than in London.
www.oxfordmail.co.uk
Light pollution damages wildlife, disrupting and killing insects, bats and migrating birds, and can also disrupt human sleep leading to long-term health problems. It is also one form of pollution that we can instantly stop.
Oxon residents, take part in this survey...
letstalk.oxfordshire.gov.uk/pnl
Part-night lighting and street lighting policy
Help us to develop street lighting proposals that are right for Oxfordshire Oxfordshire County Council operates approximately 60,000 streetlights across the county. Part-night lighting is an approach ...
letstalk.oxfordshire.gov.uk