Oxford City Council joined other leaders across the Thames Valley on February 12, 2026, to support a new regional plan for building homes and transport links across the area, including Oxfordshire, Berkshire, and Swindon. This joint statement welcomes a government proposal for a shared strategy to coordinate growth and infrastructure across the wider region, aiming to make it easier to decide where major projects are built.
This plan, known as a spatial development strategy, aims to manage economic growth and nature recovery while considering how to protect or use Green Belt land. According to Oxford City Council, the strategy will tackle issues that are best planned at a regional scale instead of by each local council acting alone.
The growth plans are connected to the potential creation of a new regional authority, known as the Thames Valley Mayoral Strategic Authority, led by a directly elected mayor with powers over local planning and transport. Leaders from councils including Cherwell District Council have expressed interest in this new setup to secure more funding and control from the central government.
A public consultation run by the UK government is now open for residents to provide feedback on the proposal. People can share their views on the boundaries and powers of the new regional strategy until the consultation closes on March 26, 2026.
This joint effort follows the 2022 cancellation of a previous planning project for Oxfordshire after local councils failed to agree on housing and growth targets. By working with a larger group of neighbouring areas, leaders hope to resolve long-standing issues like housing shortages and water scarcity.
