THREE Oxford communities are the first to bid to draw up legally-binding plans to influence development in their area.

Summertown and St Margaret’s, Wolvercote and Jericho have taken the first step in drawing up a neighbourhood plan.

The plans are allowed under the Localism Act 2011, aimed at giving communities more power.

They are agreed by communities and must legally be considered when Oxford City Council makes decisions on planning applications.

They are the first Oxford areas to begin the process of drawing up a plan.

The first step is for the council to formally approve the geographical areas each plan will cover and consultation for this has now begun.

Yet the plans cannot overrule the council’s “local plan”, which sets out where major new development will go until 2016.

Instead, they will be considered on issues like the design and layout of homes, shops and offices.

Wolvercote Neighbourhood Forum’s Graham Jones said: “We do really want to get all the thoughts of residents together. “I think there is a lot of support for it.”

He said the “big challenges” are the council’s plan for 200 homes at the former Wolvercote Paper Mill site off Mill Road and the Northern Gateway business park near the A34 Peartree interchange.

He said: “We need to make sure that whatever finishes up there actually is sustainable.”

Summertown and St Margaret’s Neighbourhood Forum is hoping to influence what is built at Diamond Place and Ewert House, which the city council has earmarked for housing.

In Jericho the plan is being led by the Jericho Wharf Trust, which wants to redevelop the closed Castle Mill boatyard.

The council has earmarked the boatyard – which closed in 1992 – for housing, a boatyard and community centre.

Each plan will be subject to consultations and finally a referendum.

Council’s executive member for city development Colin Cook said: “I think the work they are doing is good.

“There may well be an issue of not raising expectations too high. “Some people see these plans as the answer to prevent development but what they are actually for is encouraging the right sort of development. But I have no problems with people trying to direct sympathetic development in their area. This is about having the information in front of us before we go out for consultation. More knowledge is better and allows us to make better decisions.”

Thame is leading the way in Oxfordshire with the town set to hold its referendum on Thursday, May 2.

A consultation period of six weeks opened on Friday on the geographical areas to be covered by the plans.

Comments should be submitted to planningpolicy@oxford.gov.uk or to Planning Policy, St Aldate’s Chambers, 109-113 St Aldate’s, Oxford, OX1 1DS by Friday, May 17.

For more information visit oxford.gov.uk/neighbourhoodplanning.