Inspectors examine the plan for 2,750 homes at Dalton Barracks, Shippon, on Tuesday 17 November. The Milton Park hearings are open to watch and livestreamed.
The plan to build about 2,750 homes at Dalton Barracks, on the north-western edge of Abingdon by Shippon, goes before the government’s planning inspectors on Tuesday 17 November. It is the first site they will examine as the hearings on the South Oxfordshire and Vale of White Horse Joint Local Plan 2041 resume.
The Vale announced the hearings on 11 November. There are 11 days of hearings in this third stage, between 17 November and 16 December, starting at 9.30am each day.
Overview
- What: the third stage of public hearings into the Joint Local Plan 2041, which decides where homes and jobs go in the Vale and South Oxfordshire.
- Dalton Barracks: Tuesday 17 November, from 9.30am, after a morning session on how sites were chosen.
- Other Vale sites: Thursday 19 November, afternoon, including North West of Grove, Harcourt Hill in Botley, Culham, East Hanney and Kingston Bagpuize.
- Where: Bee House, Milton Park, OX14 4SB, about four miles south of Abingdon. Anyone can watch, subject to space, or follow the livestream on the councils’ YouTube channel.
What the councils want at Dalton Barracks
The barracks site is already allocated for about 1,200 homes in the Vale’s Local Plan 2031 Part 2. The new plan extends it to take in the brownfield part of the barracks to the east, which lifts the figure to about 2,750 homes.
The councils set out their case in their written statement on Matter 7. It says Policy AS10 requires:
- two new primary schools on site, plus a site and funding for a secondary school
- healthcare provision and local centres
- 7.4 hectares of employment land
- 180 homes of specialist housing for older people
- 6 to 10 pitches for Gypsies and Travellers
- football and cricket pitches, a multi-use games area and a skatepark
- a new library, or money towards library provision in the area
- parkland on the western side, in the Green Belt
The Ministry of Defence owns the whole site, and its Defence Infrastructure Organisation is promoting it. The councils say the promoter expects to submit an outline or hybrid planning application in winter 2027/28.
Where the councils and the promoter disagree
The councils’ statement records three points the promoter raised:
- Jobs land. The promoter wants the fixed 7.4 hectares replaced by “a range of employment options”. The councils say a stated amount matters for a working garden village.
- The parkland. The promoter called the parkland requirement “unnecessary”, arguing its other open space would protect the Cothill Fen nature site. The councils say the parkland is needed to draw walkers away from the fen, though they are “content to call this provision something different”.
- Access land. The promoter asked for land to the south and east to be safeguarded for transport routes. The councils and the county council say no robust evidence has been given to justify it.
The inspectors’ own questions for the day ask whether the plan deals properly with the site’s closeness to protected habitats. They also ask which parts of the existing Dalton Barracks Supplementary Planning Document the new plan would supersede, according to the agenda for 17 November.
The rest of the hearings
The inspectors’ timetable sets out these sessions:
| Date | Session |
|---|---|
| Tue 17 Nov | Site selection; sites close to Oxford, including Dalton Barracks |
| Wed 18 Nov | Nature recovery, heritage and landscape (am); healthy places (pm) |
| Thu 19 Nov | Berinsfield and Didcot sites (am); other Vale sites (pm) |
| Tue 24 Nov | Climate change (am); design (pm) |
| Wed 25 Nov | Housing land supply (am); town centres and shops (pm) |
| Thu 26 Nov | Environmental quality (am); jobs and tourism (pm) |
| Tue 8 Dec | Housing policies (am); viability (pm) |
| Wed 9 Dec | Infrastructure and transport (am); monitoring, and the inspectors’ closing remarks (pm) |
| Thu 10 Dec | Reserve sessions |
The councils say weeks one to three are in person at Bee House. A fourth week, from 15 December, is held in reserve and would be online if it is needed.
The Thursday 19 November afternoon session covers these Vale sites:
- North West of Grove, and North West of Valley Park near Didcot
- Harwell Campus
- Harcourt Hill Campus, Botley
- carried-forward sites at East Hanney and Kingston Bagpuize with Southmoor
- land next to Culham Campus
- Vauxhall Barracks, Didcot
Harcourt Hill Estate Residents Association is among the listed participants that afternoon.
What it means for you
Anyone can sit in the public seats at Bee House, if there is room, or watch the livestream. The councils’ release says the examination webpage carries the full agenda for every session.
The hearings do not grant planning permission for any site. After them, the inspectors decide whether the plan is sound and what changes it needs. Any homes at Dalton Barracks would still need their own planning application, which the promoter expects in winter 2027/28.
Sources
- Vale of White Horse District Council: Joint Local Plan hearings November to December, 11 November 2026, for the dates, start time, venue, reserve week and livestream.
- Inspectors’ hearings timetable, stage 3 (ID31), for the session list and participants.
- Inspectors’ agenda for 17 November 2026 (ID33) and matters, issues and questions (ID29).
- South Oxfordshire and Vale of White Horse councils’ Matter 7 statement, for the Dalton Barracks figures, requirements, ownership, application timing and the points in dispute.
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