Neighbourhood Plan
Please note details of the 2022 update to follow
Benson has an agreed neighbourhood plan, covering the period between 2018 – 2033. It took nearly three years of hard, detailed work from a dedicated group of local people, who together formed the Neighbourhood Plan Development Team, to create this plan. Consultation with the village kicked off early in 2016, with over 250 comments and suggestions being offered, and the team used this input to develop a comprehensive plan for our parish that included development, transport, amenities and leisure. Eventually, this plan was put to a local referendum and was overwhelmingly supported by the community – 94% voted in favour. It was then adopted by SODC and incorporated into their wider plans for South Oxfordshire.
Anyone who lives in Benson will be aware of the new housing developments. Travelling around Oxfordshire it sometimes seems that housing is springing up on every empty piece of land. For Benson, this development was always going to happen – it was impossible to avoid. What the neighbourhood plan has done is give us a strong voice in where and how this development takes place, and which areas should be protected from further development. It has also enabled us to secure vital infrastructure and amenities to help Benson manage its housing growth without too much stress – most notably the Benson Relief Road, currently under construction, but also our new Community Hall and the Skate Park. The approved Plan also means that the village has received a much greater share of the Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) money than would otherwise have been the case, and this is money that can be spent to benefit the whole village. The Faye Elizabeth Play Park is just one of the many projects on which the Council has been able to spend CIL funds.
The Benson Neighbourhood Plan was revised in 2022 to keep it up-to-date and consistent with SODC’s new Local Plan 2020-2035 and with other changes in legislation.
The current Benson Neighbourhood Plan Development Team members are:
- Philip Murray – Chairman
- Mick Brown – Transport
- Paul Day – Communications
- Richard Hess – Community Infrastructure
- Edel McGurk – Green Spaces
- Catherine Murray – Heritage & Design
Also:
- Andrea Powell – SODC Representative
- Bill Pattison – Benson Parish Council
- Patricia Baylis – Benson Parish Council