Comments on the next South and Vale local plan, to 2045, close 29 September. No sites or policies are proposed yet; the next round runs 1 June to 13 July 2027.
The councils that plan for Abingdon, Wantage and Faringdon have started work on a new local plan to run until 2045. The first consultation on it closes at 11.59pm on Tuesday 29 September.
It is an unusual start. The plan it will replace has not been adopted yet.
South Oxfordshire and Vale of White Horse district councils are writing the new plan together, as they did the last one. They call it the Joint Local Plan 2045, or JLP2. It will decide where new homes, jobs and infrastructure go across both districts, and where development is kept out.
What you are being asked
Very little is on the table yet. The councils say plainly that this stage does not include “any proposed policies or strategies”, and no sites are proposed. It is a scoping exercise. The consultation document asks three questions about the plan itself:
- What are your top three priorities for the new plan?
- Are there particular topics you want it to cover?
- Do you have any other comments on what it should contain?
The other five questions are about how the councils consult. They ask whether you agree with their draft engagement approach, whether anything has stopped you responding to a local plan consultation before, and what would help.
That second set is worth answering if you have ever given up on a planning consultation. The councils say the replies will shape their community engagement strategy for the rest of the plan.
Why a second plan has started before the first is finished
The first Joint Local Plan, which runs to 2041, is still being examined by government inspectors. It was submitted in December 2024. Hearings were held in June 2025 and July 2026, and the councils say a third stage is expected this autumn. Their scoping document puts adoption at May 2027.
New plan-making regulations came into force in March 2026. They require councils to produce a local plan within 30 months of a formal starting point, known as Gateway 1. For South and Vale, that start has a statutory deadline of 31 October 2026, and the councils expect to begin on 30 October.
So both plans now run side by side. The councils call this “twin-tracking”. On their explainer page, they say nearly 40 other councils are in the same position.
Cllr Andy Foulsham, the Vale’s Cabinet Member for Policy and Programmes, said working on two local plans at once “is a challenge”. He urged people to get involved at this early stage, in the councils’ announcement of 8 September.
The paused council merger does not stop it
In July 2026 the Government said it was minded to replace every council in Oxfordshire, plus West Berkshire, with three new unitary authorities. On 7 September it paused that process for a review.
The councils say the plan must start regardless. Its later stages could pass to new authorities. Once adopted, its policies would still apply within today’s South Oxfordshire and Vale boundaries, whatever the new council map looks like.
The timetable to 2029
The councils’ published timetable sets these dates:
| Stage | Date |
|---|---|
| Scoping consultation | 8 to 29 September 2026 |
| Gateway 1 (statutory deadline) | By 31 October 2026 |
| Consultation on proposed content and evidence | 1 June to 13 July 2027 |
| Consultation on the proposed plan | 7 March to 18 April 2028 |
| Submission for examination | 31 October 2028 |
| Examination hearings | November 2028 to March 2029 |
| Adoption | 30 April 2029 |
Between now and June 2027 the councils will gather evidence, run a site selection process and draft the vision, strategy and policies. The June 2027 round is the first where you will see what they are actually proposing.
What it means for you
If you want the plan to deal with something, such as flooding, school places, the A34, or where new homes should not go, this is the stage to say so. It takes a few minutes, because there are only three questions on content.
- Online: the survey is at southandvale.gov.uk/JLP2-scoping-consultation. The councils prefer this route.
- By email: planning.policy@southandvale.gov.uk.
- By post: write to Planning Policy, South Oxfordshire and Vale of White Horse District Councils, Freepost SOUTH AND VALE CONSULTATIONS. No stamp or other address is needed.
- In person: the document and notice are at the council offices, Abbey House, Abbey Close, Abingdon, OX14 3JE, during office hours. The notice is also at The Beacon in Wantage and in libraries across both districts. Abbey House has a public computer you can use to respond.
- Other formats: large print, Braille, audio, Easy Read and other languages are available on request, on 01235 422 422.
After the deadline, the councils will publish a summary of the main issues raised and how they intend to deal with them.
For planning decisions being made now, under the current rules, see our Abingdon planning applications page.
Sources
- South and Vale: Joint Local Plan 2045 scoping consultation, for the dates, how to respond and where to view documents.
- Scoping Consultation Document, 8 to 29 September 2026, for the questions, the Gateway 1 start date, the first plan’s expected adoption and the effect of local government reorganisation.
- Joint Local Plan 2045 timetable, for every milestone to April 2029.
- Why two Joint Local Plans?, for twin-tracking and the paused reorganisation.
- Vale of White Horse District Council: consultation launched, 8 September 2026, for the examination history and the councillors’ statements.
All checked 11 September 2026.
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