The Planning & Regulation Committee of Oxfordshire Council met on Monday 23 February 2026. The committee considered an application for the determination of conditions for planning permission at Land at Thrupp Farm, Radley, Abingdon, Oxfordshire. The committee resolved to refer the application to the Secretary of State for consideration.

Land at Thrupp Farm, Radley, Abingdon, Oxfordshire

The committee considered an application for the determination of conditions to which planning permission is to be subject for land at Thrupp Farm, Radley, Abingdon, Oxfordshire. This application relates to existing planning permissions DD1 and DD2 for mineral extraction.

The primary issue discussed was the significant effect identified through the loss of irreplaceable and priority habitats. Officers recommended that, in the absence of a legal position to refuse the application, it should be referred to the Secretary of State for their consideration as to whether to call the application in for their own determination.

Should the Secretary of State decline to call the application in, the Director of Economy and Place would be authorised to determine the conditions. These conditions would include those set out in Annex 4 of the report, but crucially, would exclude any condition restricting development in the areas of irreplaceable and priority habitats. This approach was taken due to concerns that imposing such a restriction could render the mineral extraction economically unviable and potentially lead to compensation claims against the council.

The committee also noted that the minutes of the previous meeting on 23 February 2026 had been approved. These minutes confirmed that the decision to refer the Radley ROMP application to the Secretary of State had been made, and that the committee would be informed of the Secretary of State's final decision.

The committee also discussed an application for Land Adjacent to Ferris Hill Farm, Sibford Road, Hook Norton, Banbury, which was a part retrospective application for the creation of a development platform, erection of a new building, and installation of a Combined Heat and Power Plant. Despite support from Hook Norton Parish Council and local businesses, and the applicant's assurances regarding biodiversity net gain and waste hierarchy, the committee refused the application. The refusal was primarily based on concerns that the operation of the CHP plant had not been robustly demonstrated to avoid diverting material from higher-value recycling streams, a core element of the waste policy objectives. The retrospective nature of the development platform was also noted, with officers confirming that if refused, these works would be unauthorised and could be required to be removed.