Thame Neighbourhood Plan Revision

This information on this page relates to the consultations held by Thame Town Council between August 2021 and August 2023 with regards to the Thame Neighbourhood Plan 2 (TNP2). The plan has now been submitted to South Oxfordshire District Council and is open for consultation – please visit our TNP2 – Latest News webpage for all the latest.

Introduction

Since July 2013, the Thame Neighbourhood Plan (TNP) – the community’s vision for the future of the town – has been used to help guide the District Council in making their decisions on the majority of planning applications in Thame and Moreton. But many local people cannot afford to rent or buy a home where they have their roots. The town needs infrastructure, like more community meeting space, improved health facilities, and better means of getting around.

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TNP2 News

Update 10/5/24: Thame Neighbourhood Plan 2 is moving forward!

At its full council meeting, on Tuesday 14 May, the Town Council approved the revised Thame Neighbourhood Plan (TNP2) as ready for submission to South Oxfordshire District Council (SODC). The District will hold a further 6 weeks public consultation and arrange for an independent examination of the plan.
 

Key Documents

Consultation Draft Thame Neighbourhood Plan 2

TNP2 Consultation boards

Consultation 2 Analysis / Reports
Consultation 1 Analysis
Reports

Consultation 3

12th June 2023 – 7th August 2023 

This is the first draft of the revised Thame Neighbourhood Plan.  It suggested policies for how development should happen in Thame, where housing and employment could go and proposed projects to improve the lives of residents.

It was written with the benefit of evidence focused on Thame’s needs and over 1,400 sets of comments already made by residents, businesses, and organisations.

Please scroll through the consultation boards (to the right on laptops/PCs, or below on mobiles).  You can click on the image to enlarge / download it.  Alternatively, you can download PDF versions of all the boards and documents that were directly related to this consultation:

Information Video

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Consultation 2

20th December 2021 – 7th February 2022

This consultation looked for feedback on the larger potential employment and housing sites. It also sought views on some of the ideas put forward during the first consultation held in summer 2021.

Two possible employment and four possible housing sites were put forward as options. Of these, the majority of people preferred Rycote Lane as an employment site and Oxford Road for housing.

General improvements and extensions to the local walking/cycling network were supported. Improvements to youth services and local health facilities were also raised.

A high number of very detailed comments were made and these were fed into the first draft of the plan which was consulted on during the summer of 2023. The details of what was said can be seen within the Consultation 2 Summary.

Consultation 2 Analysis / Reports

Consultation 2 Documents

Scroll through the consultation boards (to the right on laptops/PCs, or below on mobiles). You can click on the image to enlarge / download it. Alternatively, you can download PDF version of all the boards:

  • TNP2 Consultation Board 1/5 – Welcome & The Consultation

  • TNP2 Consultation Board 2/5 – Vision & Objectives

  • TNP2 Consultation Board 3/5 – Employment Sites

  • TNP2 Consultation Board 4/5 – Housing Sites

  • TNP2 Consultation Board 5/5 – Wider Ideas

Consultation 1

2 August 2021 to 23 August 2021

This consultation explored people’s views on sites allocated for development as well as their views on the character of the area within which they live: what they considered to be positive features and qualities of the area, and what concerns they had, if any, about the impact of new development. Over 500 individuals, businesses and organisations submitted comments in response to the consultation. These views helped further develop our understanding of each area of Thame and how we could create policies that influence the delivery of good quality design for them.

Consultation 1 Analysis

Consultation 1 Documents

Scroll through the consultation boards (to the right on laptops/PCs, or below on mobiles). You can click on the image to enlarge / download it. Alternatively, you can download PDF version of all the boards:

Please note the Site Assessment Table has too many columns to comfortably fit onto a normal screen or sheet of paper.  Each site, therefore, appears 4 times within the table with different matters addressed each time.

Successes of the first TNP

Thame’s original Neighbourhood Plan was a success! The award winning plan has been widely praised for getting much right, first time. Among its successes are:
  • new employment and job opportunities
  • well designed and well linked housing estates
  • delivery of new pathways and open spaces
  • money sourced from developers towards the Town’s infrastructure, e.g. new and improved sport and leisure facilities

What’s changed?

Since the creation of the first Neighbourhood Plan there have been significant changes, including:
  • The District’s own Local Plan was adopted in December 2020 and allocates more housing and employment growth for Thame
  • Introduction of new planning rights, e.g. large house extensions
  • Climate and environmental emergencies being declared
  • The Town Council has adopted the community-led Green Living Plan, the first in the Country
  • House prices rising to levels that many struggle to afford

Why we needed a new Neighbourhood Plan

The current Neighbourhood Plan is out of date on some matters like housing needs. Local employers struggle to find space to expand their businesses and are worried about what new Government regulations will mean for our highly successful High Street. Local residents are concerned about issues such as our footpaths and cycleways, and protecting their homes from more intense rainfall.