Councillor Dan Levy, Cabinet Member for Finance, Property and Transformation, was scheduled to attend a meeting to discuss several items, including a promotion agreement for a residential development and cleaning and catering contracts. The meeting was scheduled to take place online and was open to the public.

Guydens Farm, Northfield, Oxford

The Cabinet Member was scheduled to consider a report regarding Guydens Farm, Northfield, Oxford. The report by the Director of Property and Assets concerned a site allocated in the South Oxfordshire District (SODC) Local Plan 2035 for approximately 1,800 homes and supporting services. Oxfordshire County Council owns approximately 23% (15.62 hectares) of the 67.90-hectare site. The remainder of the site is owned by one landlord, who appointed a site promoter, Catesby Estates Limited, in 2016.

South Oxfordshire District Council have stated that individual planning consents will only be considered once a comprehensive development led by a masterplan of the entire site has been agreed between the parties. A conceptual masterplan was included within SODC's Local Plan, which was indicative, and a more detailed plan has been developed as the parties have gone through a pre-application process and design review panels. The target is to have an agreed masterplan by autumn of 2025 with a planning application submission in November 2025.

The Cabinet Member was recommended to:

• Approve a Direct Award to enter into a site Promotion Agreement for the development of Guydens Farm with Catesby Estates Limited.
• Delegate authority to the Director of Property and Assets to finalise, and enter into, the Promotion Agreement in consultation with the Section 151 Officer¹ and the Head of Legal and Governance.

The report noted that there are risks associated with developments of this size, including changes in economic conditions, obtaining planning consent, planning conditions imposed, highway and infrastructure issues, appeals, objections, and legal challenges. There are also risks in terms of viability, the cost of the infrastructure, Section 106² contributions, and the capacity of the sewage treatment works.

The report considered several options for bringing forward the development, including selling the land, continuing to work in collaboration with the adjoining owner and their promoter, collaborating with the promoter/majority landowner on a joint planning application, or putting a promotion agreement in place. The report stated that there are only two realistic options available for the delivery of the development: a collaboration agreement or a promotion agreement. It was noted that if the existing collaboration agreement is extended, substantial capital will need to be incurred, with no guarantee of the land being sold and the possibility of the development not materialising. A promotion agreement derisks the delivery of the site and supports the delivery of a new development based on a masterplan.

The report stated that legal advice concluded that there appear to be strong technical reasons to consider a Direct Award under s41 of the Procurement Act 2023³.

The development and sale of the site supports the agreed Property and Asset Strategy agreed in November 2022, by maximising the value of investments to support the long-term financial sustainability of the council land and supporting the local community by the provision of land for social housing.

Cleaning and Catering

The Cabinet Member was scheduled to consider a report regarding cleaning and catering. The report by the Director of Property and Assets contained information that was considered exempt.

Other items

The Cabinet Member was also scheduled to:

• Consider any declarations of interest from councillors.
• Consider questions from county councillors.
• Consider petitions and public addresses.
• Approve the Minutes of the Previous Meeting held on 11 July 2025.