IT’S no secret that there is a shortage of housing both nationally and at the local level in Cherwell. The limited supply and an ongoing increase in demand mean that it’s hard for many young people to find suitable rented accommodation or to get their first foot on the property ladder.

As the Local Planning Authority, Cherwell District Council is charged with allocating suitable sites for development and approving individual applications for permission to build in Bicester.

That gives us the ability to help alleviate the problem of housing supply, but also the responsibility to ensure future developments contribute meaningfully to the town’s sense of community and place.

Whilst we’re determined to deliver the volume of housing that Bicester needs – and indeed that Government requires of us – we are determined that quantity must not come at the expense of quality and affordability.

We want Bicester to become a byword for excellent housing and environmentally friendly living. Elmsbrook, the sustainable community being built in north-west Bicester, and Graven Hill, the self-build development, both promote green building standards and top quality construction techniques.

And across Bicester we are looking for all new developments to include a minimum of 30 per cent affordable housing.

The evidence shows we can make this happen: in the past financial year we had a target to provide 190 affordable homes throughout the district.

In fact we delivered 312, nearly 30 per cent of the total number of homes completed that financial year.

We are also very clear that we don’t want to rely solely on developers to bring forth the accommodation Bicester needs.

At Graven Hill we have taken control of housing delivery by buying an area of land from the Ministry of Defence which is being used to create the largest self and custom-build community in the UK.

Cherwell council set up the Graven Hill Village Development Company as a means of delivering this innovative housing opportunity.

It lets us reap the benefits of working in a commercial style while ensuring that the company’s work closely fits the council’s wider goals for Bicester.

This includes the integration of green spaces and healthy living, and the provision of one and two-bed starter homes, something that can be overlooked in conventional developments.

And since Cherwell retains ownership of Graven Hill, the funds it generates will be used to help continue to protect the frontline services offered by a council which has not increased its share of the Council Tax since 2009.

I am proud, not only of the high quality and accessibility of the housing that is going up around Bicester, but of the fact that we are making the most of the opportunity housing offers as we plan for the effects of cuts in Government funding to local councils. With the range and quality of housing options that are coming forth in Bicester, the town’s future is looking very bright indeed.