Planning inspectors were wrong to water down West Oxfordshire Council’s net zero plans for Salt Cross Garden Village, judge rules
A key element of the West Oxfordshire Local Plan 2031 is the establishment of a new garden village to the north of the A40 near Eynsham. The Salt Cross garden village will make a major contribution towards homes and jobs in a high quality living environment. It will unlock funds to improve infrastructure and boost the case for improvements to local transport links, including upgrades to the A40.
However the planning inspectors, in a report published in March 2023, questioned whether the council’s Area Action Plan policies relating to net zero carbon development, zero waste, green infrastructure, and protecting and enhancing environmental assets were justified, effective, and consistent with national policy.
Rights and climate collective Rights: Community: Action (RCA) has won its legal challenge to a decision to water down the net zero ambitions of West Oxfordshire District Council in its plan for Salt Cross Garden Village.
A High Court judge has ruled that Government’s planning inspectors acted unlawfully when they said the garden village to be built north of the A40, halfway between Witney and Oxford, did not need to be built to the net zero standards suggested by the council.
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