LEWKNOR PARISH NEIGHBOURHOOD PLAN Lewknor Parish Neighbourhood Plan Group Pre-Submission Consultation Draft 8 June 2020 1 Contents Contents .............................................................................................................................................................. 2 Appendices .......................................................................................................................................................... 3 1. Executive Summary ..................................................................................................................................... 4 2. Summary of Policies .................................................................................................................................... 6 3. Terminology................................................................................................................................................. 7 4. Sources of Maps .......................................................................................................................................... 7 5. Introduction ................................................................................................................................................. 8 6. Background .................................................................................................................................................. 9 7. Lewknor Parish .......................................................................................................................................... 15 7.1. History of the Parish .......................................................................................................................... 20 7.2. Current Housing ................................................................................................................................ 22 8. Vision, Aims and Objectives ...................................................................................................................... 27 8.1. Vision ................................................................................................................................................. 27 8.2. Aims and Objectives .......................................................................................................................... 28 9. Overview of Policies .................................................................................................................................. 29 10. Spatial Strategy .......................................................................................................................................... 32 10.1. Settlement Boundaries: Lewknor and Postcombe ............................................................................ 32 11. Landscape and Village Character .............................................................................................................. 36 11.1. Conserving Heritage .......................................................................................................................... 37 11.2. Landscape Character ......................................................................................................................... 39 11.3. Protection of Views ........................................................................................................................... 41 11.4. The Chilterns Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty ............................................................................ 42 12. Design and Character of Buildings ............................................................................................................ 45 12.1. Character of Developments .............................................................................................................. 45 12.2. Design Principles ............................................................................................................................... 46 12.3. Sustainable Design ............................................................................................................................ 48 13. Environment .............................................................................................................................................. 49 13.1. Wildlife and Biodiversity ................................................................................................................... 49 13.2. Aston Rowant National Nature Reserve ............................................................................................ 50 13.3. High Grade Agricultural Land ............................................................................................................ 52 14. Facilities and Infrastructure ...................................................................................................................... 54 14.1. Local Green Spaces ............................................................................................................................ 54 14.2. Community Facilities ......................................................................................................................... 55 14.3. Sustainable Movement ..................................................................................................................... 56 2 14.4. Green Energy ..................................................................................................................................... 57 14.5. Utilities .............................................................................................................................................. 58 14.6. Employment, Economic and Commercial Development .................................................................. 59 15. Housing ...................................................................................................................................................... 62 15.1. Housing Mix ....................................................................................................................................... 62 16. Transport and Highways ............................................................................................................................ 64 16.1. Parking ............................................................................................................................................... 64 16.2. Vehicle Traffic .................................................................................................................................... 64 17. The Balanced Community ......................................................................................................................... 66 17.1. Community Facilities ......................................................................................................................... 66 17.2. Open Spaces, Roads and Transport, Wildlife and Water Courses .................................................... 66 17.3. Health and Well-being ....................................................................................................................... 66 18. Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) Priorities ......................................................................................... 68 19. Implementation and Monitoring ............................................................................................................... 69 20. Steering Group Members and Consultants ............................................................................................... 70 Appendices 1. Character Assessment 2. Green Infrastructure and Open Spaces 3. Protection of Views 4. Drawing of Settlement Boundaries 3 1. Executive Summary A Neighbourhood Plan is a way of helping local communities influence the planning of the area in which the residents live and work. It is principally about land use and the policies covering development and is formulated by a steering group whose membership consists of residents of the parish to which the Neighbourhood Plan will apply. The background for neighbourhood planning, and how it applies to the Parish of Lewknor, is set out initially in this document which then goes on to describe the parish and its history. It uses these elements to create a vision, the aims and the objectives for the Parish and the development policies for the period ending in 2040. It works within the framework of the policies laid down in South Oxfordshire District Council’s Local Plan and responds to the issue of housing in the South Oxfordshire District Council area. The parish of Lewknor includes three settlements namely Lewknor, Postcombe and South Weston. South Oxfordshire District Council classifies Lewknor as a “smaller village”, Postcombe as an “other village” and South Weston is unclassified. South Oxfordshire District Council’s Development Plan looks for housing growth in the towns and larger villages; there is no requirement for growth in “smaller”, “other” or unclassified villages. In formulating this Plan the Lewknor Neighbourhood Plan Steering Group (the Steering Group) has consulted widely. It has held events at which residents’ views were sought and conducted two parish consultations in 2018. The Steering Group has consulted other relevant bodies, such as Natural England, the Chilterns Conservation Board, Thames Water, Lewknor Parish Council and South Oxfordshire District Council. A wide range of evidence has been collected and used to inform the Plan. Detail supporting this plan can be found in