Visit from Minister a Huge Boost for Thame’s Neighbourhood Plan

Rt Hon Greg Clark MP, Minister of State for Communities and Local Government, visited Thame on Wednesday 25 January to meet some key players in Thame’s Neighbourhood Plan project.  The Minister’s visit represents a huge boost for this vitally important investment in Thame’s future.  It also underlines the commitment in Government to Localism and Neighbourhood Planning. 

Thame is the largest town in Oxfordshire (and one of the largest in the country) to be selected as a front runner for Neighbourhood Planning and this visit gave the Minister an opportunity to observe Neighbourhood Planning in action and to engage with, and learn from, the people involved at grass roots level.

The evening included short presentations and a chance to ask questions.  The Council’s advisers, Tibbalds Planning & Urban Design, as well as Councillors at County, District and Town levels were all present, as were a number of representatives from local groups.

The Core Strategy Examiner has clearly indicated his intention to rule that site allocations for proposed housing development in Thame should be determined by the people of Thame through the Neighbourhood Plan, rather than imposed by South Oxfordshire District Council.

John Howell MP, who holds the position of Parliamentary Private Secretary (PPS) to Greg Clark, attended the meeting alongside the Minister.  John authored the policy document ‘Open Source Planning’, much of which became the foundation for the Localism Bill, so it is particularly appropriate that a large market town in his constituency should be a pioneer in Neighbourhood Planning.

Thame Town Plan Sustainability Appraisal

The following document is the Scoping Report for the Sustainability Appraisal of the Thame Town Plan. The Scoping Report will be available for a total of 5 weeks, with a deadline for responses of 20 February 2012.  The consultation response questionnaire can be used to provide comment.  Hard copies are also available to view at the Town Hall and Library in Thame and the South Oxfordshire District Council Offices in Wallingford.

The sustainability appraisal is a separate process that runs alongside the production of the Thame Town Plan. The appraisal will be used to ensure that the final plan is the most sustainable option for the development of Thame.  The scoping report is the first stage in this process and sets the relevant policy, baseline data, sustainability issues and develops a framework which will be used in the next stages to help assess development options.

Download Scoping Report here.

Download Consultation Response questionnaire here.

 Responses should be sent to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or to the Town Hall.  Please make sure your response has ‘TTP SA Scoping’ in the title of the email or in the address line for postal responses.  Thank you.

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