East Witney, West Witney (North Curbridge) and North Witney are generally considered to be the sites with the most potential, all three being substantially promoted through the previous Local Plan process.

East Witney is the most suitable location for development, as it best supports existing communities and offers the best access to key services and jobs in line with advice in PPS1 and PPS3. Crucially, East Witney will also help deliver the solution to Witney's most pressing traffic problems - congestion on Bridge Street and pollution within the Air Quality Management Area (AQMA).

West Oxfordshire District Council's LDF Core Strategy Interim Position Statement (February 2009) proposes that 1450 new homes need to be built. This should be met by:

• Development at West Witney (about 1,000 houses). But the Council acknowledges that this site alone does not have sufficient capacity to accommodate the 1,450 new homes required.
• To meet this requirement at least two main development sites will need to be identified. Therefore the land at East Witney should be allocated in addition to one other development.

• A responsive, flexible and adequate housing land supply is maintained
• A balanced pattern of growth is achieved that makes use of the most sustainable location
• Essential infrastructure is delivered at an early stage.

A second site in addition to East Witney will need to be identified to achieve the required housing numbers over the plan period. There are issues with each of the sites proposed.

• South Witney is severed from Witney by the A40 and must be considered unsustainable. Of the remaining two options
• North Witney is closer to the town centre but would require the construction of the West End Link Road through the flood plain of the River Windrush whilst North Curbridge is the furthest site from the town centre and would take the form of an isolated self contained suburb rather than a sustainable urban extension to Witney.

Best option

East Witney is the most suitable location because it delivers substantial housing numbers to meet the future requirements for Witney;

• It is the most sustainable location for development
• It provides essential infrastructure to address the traffic congestion problems of the town
.

The East Witney site has the best accessibility to destinations in the town centre by walking and cycling when compared to the other options. This was recognised by the Independent Inspector at the West Oxfordshire Local Plan Inquiry in 2004.

"In terms of general location and access to the town centreby foot or on cycle I am in no doubt that the Cogges area has very considerable advantages over North Curbridge, or indeed North Witney. It is the closest site in distance to the town centre, Henry Box secondary school and town employment areas (1-1.5 km.) by way of the excellent footway and cycle path across the Windrush valley past Cogges Manor .Indeed, the fact that this route is so much shorter than the road route through Newland and Bridge Street encourages the use of non-car modes entirely in line with PPG13 advice." (Inspector's Report Para.9.20).

The existing pedestrian and cycle network through the Cogges Estate provides opportunities for this excellent network to be extended into the new development. The Cogges Estate is already served by a local bus service which could be easily extended into the new development via Eaton Close. The site is within a few minutes walking distance of the high frequency S1/S2 bus service to Oxford. The site is also located in close proximity to the A40 junction at Shores Green and the potential Park and Ride site.

The Witney Transport Study (March 2009) was commissioned by Oxfordshire County Council and West Oxfordshire District Council to consider which of the proposed directions of housing growth is the most sustainable in transport terms.

The Witney Transport Study concluded that the East Witney site has: The best accessibility by all modes to GP surgeries, especially by foot and bicycle The best accessibility by foot and bicycle to supermarkets Sustainable access to secondary schools, especially when compared to the south and west sites Good accessibility from Witney, with the central points of the east site having the quickest average journey times by foot and bicycle when compared to the other three sites.