Date set for referendum on new-look housing plan

A REFERENDUM on the revised Henley and Harpsden neighbourhood plan will take place on Thursday, November 24.

The document, which was compiled by a working group made up of councillors and members of the public, includes new policies requiring new housing developments to meet climate and biodiversity requirements.

It earmarks eight sites in Henley for 377 new homes, including 110 at Highlands Farm, the Crest Nicholson development off Greys Road, and 72 west of Fair Mile.

Other allocations include 50 dwellings on the Gillotts School playing fields and 23 new homes on the old Henley Youth Centre in Deanfield Avenue.

Also included are the former Chilterns End care home (27) and the Chiltern Centre (3), both off Greys Road, the Stuart Turner premises and neighbouring Henley Enterprise Park, off Greys Road (42 plus at least 3,000 sq ft of employment and retail space) and the town council’s land next to Tesco, off Reading Road (50).

The plan’s objectives include keeping Henley and Harpsden as separate as possible, prioritising the redevelopment of brownfield sites and delivering an appropriate range and mix of housing.

Priority projects identified in the document include the Henley Car Club, which was launched last year with two Toyota Yaris hybrids which can be hired by residents.

The town council wants the club to have electric vehicles and to increase the number of vehicle charging points. A public examination carried out in August by independent examiner Andrew Ashcroft found the plan met all the necessary legal requirements to proceed with the referendum.

At the referendum, voters will be asked: “Do you want South Oxfordshire District Council to use the neighbourhood plan for joint Henley and Harpsden to help it decide planning applications in the neighbourhood area?”

The document will be deemed to have been approved on a simple majority.

If the plan is adopted, it will be used by South Oxfordshire District Council, the planning authority, when considering applications.

In order to vote, you must live in the referendum area and have been registered to vote in local elections by Tuesday this week.

Polling stations will be located at Henley town hall, Henley leisure centre in Gillotts Lane, the Christ Church Centre in Reading Road, the parish hall in Vicarage Road and Harpsden village hall.

The town council is sending out letters to provide residents with more information and encouraging them to vote.

Councillor Ken Arlett, who chairs the neighbourhood plan committee, says: “The plan gives our communities the opportunity to decide the location of key housing developments, of which 40 per cent being built will be affordable.

“The plan has been developed by volunteers — all local residents — and Henley and Harpsden councillors, guided by input from the wider community through extensive consultation.

“The referendum is important for the people of Henley and Harpsden and I strongly encourage all residents to use their vote.”

To view the plan, visit https://bit.ly/3WMycAX