Vote in the referendum
The Referendum on the Neighbourhood Plan for Sonning Common will take place on Thursday 23rd February 2023. You should have received the poll cards from South Oxfordshire District Council by now and urge all those with an interest in protecting the village from unwanted development to use their vote effectively.
The Neighbourhood Plan has been revised to update the original 2016 Plan. This is the first revision and is important if the village community wishes to ensure that our views carry some weight in the planning process. Unfortunately, it does not offer full protection as can be seen by the recent overturning by a Government Inspector of the Little Sparrows retirement village appeal. It does, however, provide a clear indication of the requirements of the village residents and it has to be taken into account in due planning process.
A new and crucially important element of this first revision is the inclusion of a Settlement Boundary, which defines the extent of the village within which development will generally be supported. No development outside the Settlement Boundary will be supported in the planning process unless there are exceptional circumstances. This new policy will significantly help to protect the Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and its setting within which the village lies.
Please show your support on Thursday 23 February for those who have worked to update the Plan taking the views of the community into account. If you were not able to the exhibition in the Village Hall on Friday 17 February you can read the plan on the website.
