The Oxfordshire Council Planning & Regulation Committee met on Monday 13 October 2025 to discuss planning and regulatory matters within the county. The committee was scheduled to discuss an application to extend the life of a waste transfer facility at Sutton Courtenay and to approve the minutes from previous meetings. Councillors were also to make declarations of interest, and hear petitions and public addresses.

Land at Sutton Courtenay Waste Management Site

The committee was scheduled to consider a Section 73 application relating to land at Sutton Courtenay Waste Management Site. The application from FCC Environment (UK) Limited, sought to extend the end date of an existing waste transfer facility (WTF) from 31 December 2030 to 31 December 2050.

The application concerned a waste transfer facility permitted by MW.0088.13, which allows the handling of 60,000 tonnes per annum (tpa) of non-hazardous waste and 200 tpa of clinical waste. The site also has associated operational developments, including a northern egress to Corridor Road, a concrete pad, soil storage bunds, perimeter fencing, a transformer pad and transformer, traffic barriers and traffic lights at the consented Materials Recycling Facility (MRF).

The Planning Development Manager made a recommendation that planning permission MW.0167/23 be refused. The reasons stated were:

1. The proposed development would retain a large waste management building and associated curtilage which is significantly larger than is needed for the proposed waste transfer use. This would result in the continued industrialisation of the area for a prolonged period after which the surrounding landfill site would otherwise be restored. Due to the change in the character of the surrounding area through the wider restoration of the landfill site, the development would have unacceptable impacts on amenity including through visual and traffic impacts on the amenity of other users of the Rights of Way network and the permissive paths which are required to be provided in association with the restoration of the landfill site contrary to OMWCS policies C5, C10 and C11, VLP1 policy CP37 and VLP policy DP23. It has not been demonstrated that this greenfield site is the most suitable and sustainable option for a waste management facility after the completion of landfilling in 2030, and therefore the proposal is contrary to OMWCS policy W5.
2. The proposed retention of a large waste management building and associated curtilage for 20 years beyond the end date on the existing planning permission, would mean that both the application site and the landfill site in which it is located would not be restored in a timely and phased manner contrary to OMWCS policy M10 and OMWCS policy W6.

The report pack included summaries of consultation responses and representations received regarding the application.

Background

The application site is located within the wider Sutton Courtenay Waste Management Complex, north of Didcot, east of Sutton Courtenay and west of Appleford. The complex covers 264 hectares and includes ongoing landfill, open windrow composting, the waste transfer station, mineral processing and permanent industrial use.

The application site itself covers 5.2 hectares and lies centrally within the wider Sutton Courtenay landfill site. The building has consent for a Materials Recovery Facility, but is currently only used for waste transfer and shredding.

The waste transfer station currently operates under consent MW.0088/13, granted on appeal in 2014. It is a temporary permission, requiring removal of the development and restoration of the site by 31 December 2030.

Key Planning Issues

The report pack identified several key planning issues for consideration:

• Waste policies
• Impact on site restoration and aftercare
• Site location
• Landscape and visual impacts
• Biodiversity
• Rights of way
• Transport
• Amenity
• Past compliance with planning conditions
• Didcot Garden Town
• Climate and natural resources
• Sustainable development

Relevant Planning Policies

The report pack listed several relevant planning policies, including:

• Oxfordshire Minerals and Waste Local Plan Part 1: Core Strategy (OMWCS)
• Oxfordshire Minerals and Waste Local Plan 1996 (Saved Policies) (OMWLP)
• The Vale of White Horse Local Plan 2031 Part 1 (VLP1)
• The Vale of White Horse Local Plan 2031 Part 2 (VLP2)
• Sutton Courtenay Neighbourhood Plan

Other Matters

The committee was also scheduled to:

• Approve the minutes of the meetings held on 31 March 2025 and 20 May 2025. The minutes of the 31 March meeting record the committee's decision to grant a Certificate of Lawful Existing Use or Development (CLEUD) for the retention of a waste transfer station, and to approve the Local List of Validation Requirements 2025¹. The minutes of the 20 May meeting record the election of Councillor Diana Lugova as Chair, and Councillor Tony Worgan as Deputy Chair, for the 2025/26 council year.
• Receive any petitions and public addresses.
• Receive declarations of interest from councillors.