South Oxfordshire residents invited to contribute ideas towards new market town

Local residents, companies and organisations from around South Oxfordshire are being encouraged to help co-create a vision for Harrington, a proposed new sustainable community/market town.

Summix, as the scheme's promoter, is inviting the local community to collaborate in designing it with them. According to plans drawn up so far, Harrington will have everything in place for inhabitants to live a healthy, low-carbon lifestyle in a forward-thinking and supportive new community.

Overarching objectives include a dedication to sustainability, health and wellbeing, excellent community services, biodiversity enhancement and environmental protection.

Summix is asking individuals to engage in a Community Planning Weekend from Friday 11th to Tuesday 15th November at the Hilton Oxford Belfry, London Road, Milton Common, OX9 2JW. All in order to help create the vision for Harrington.

The Community Planning Weekend should allow locals, businesses and other organisations to collaborate to co-create a community that is inclusive, inventive and truly delivers on a shared vision for South Oxfordshire.

Executive Planning Director for Summix, Greg Mitchell, said this about the proposition: “We’re really looking forward to working side-by-side with the local community to explore the best ways to deliver a genuinely sustainable 21st century community with all the best attributes of a market town – including great facilities, sustainable homes and jobs to meet local needs."

“Building a new community for the 21st century means you can deliver a wide array of amenities within easy reach for local people, much more than what’s possible by extending existing towns and villages with endless new estates which all too often destroy local character and add pressure onto existing services."

“At the same time, we’re especially aware that new generations growing up in Oxfordshire are struggling to find decent affordable housing. The new settlement would be the opportunity to provide attractive, energy efficient new homes for local people, at all tenures, to suit all incomes."

“As we look forward to delivering for future generations, our ambition is that Harrington will reflect not just the needs of today, but how we will live in the decades to come. We encourage anyone interested in finding out more about Harrington and who wants to help shape the future of the new settlement to come along to the Community Planning Weekend.”

For more information on the development and the discussion around it, you can find out more on the Harrington website.

Main picture courtesy of Harrington New Settlement

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