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The Oxford Green Belt is a
green belt A green belt is a policy and land-use zone designation used in land-use planning to retain areas of largely undeveloped, wild, or agricultural land surrounding or neighboring urban areas. Similar concepts are greenways or green wedges, which ...
environmental and planning policy that regulates the rural space in Oxfordshire, within the South East region of
England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
. It is centred on the city of
Oxford Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...
, along with surrounding areas. Its core function is to control urban growth and development in and around the Oxford built-up area. It is managed by the local planning authorities on basis of guidance from central government.


Geography

The green belt was first proposed in 1958, but only formalised and approved by central government in 1975. Land area taken up by the belt is , 0.5% of the total land area of England (2010). All the Oxfordshire district council areas contain some portion, and it extends for some five miles from the city's limits. The smallest tracts are within the city and
West Oxfordshire West Oxfordshire is a local government district in northwest Oxfordshire, England, including towns such as Woodstock, Burford, Chipping Norton, Charlbury, Carterton and Witney, where the council is based. Area The area is mainly rural downland ...
districts, with
South Oxfordshire South Oxfordshire is a local government district in the ceremonial county of Oxfordshire, England. Its council is temporarily based outside the district at Abingdon-on-Thames pending a planned move to Didcot, the district's largest town. The a ...
containing the largest expanse. Key suburbs, villages and towns within the realms of the green belt include
Dean Court Dean Court, currently known as the Vitality Stadium for sponsorship purposes, is a football stadium in Kings Park, Boscombe, a suburb of Bournemouth, Dorset, England and the home ground of AFC Bournemouth. History In 1910, Boscombe F.C. was g ...
, Kennington,
Kidlington Kidlington is a major village and civil parish in Oxfordshire, England, between the River Cherwell and the Oxford Canal, north of Oxford and 7 miles (12 km) south-west of Bicester. It remains officially a village despite its size. The 20 ...
, Wheatley, and
Yarnton Yarnton is a village and civil parish in Oxfordshire about southwest of Kidlington and northwest of Oxford. The 2011 Census recorded the parish's population as 2,545. Archaeology Early Bronze Age decorated beakers have been found in the pa ...
. Landscape features and facilities within include
River Thames The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the second-longest in the United Kingdom, after the R ...
, Cherwell and their flood-meadows, RSPB Otmoor,
Culham Science Centre The Culham Centre for Fusion Energy (CCFE) is the UK's national laboratory for fusion research. It is located at the Culham Science Centre, near Culham, Oxfordshire, and is the site of the Joint European Torus (JET), Mega Ampere Spherical Toka ...
, Cutteslowe Park and the mini railway attraction, Shotover Country Park, Farmoor Reservoir, and St Margaret's Church and well. Due to the belt lying wholly within the county border, responsibility and co-ordination lies with the district councils as these are the local planning authorities.


See also

*
Green belt (United Kingdom) In British town planning, the green belt is a policy for controlling urban growth. The term, coined by Octavia Hill in 1875, refers to a ring of countryside where urbanisation will be resisted for the foreseeable future, maintaining an area wher ...
* Oxford Green Belt Way


References

{{reflist


External links


Interactive map of green belt land
1975 establishments in England Green belts in the United Kingdom Environment of Oxfordshire Geography of Oxford