Oxfordshire residents will be aware of the ever-increasing number of housing developments in the county – many of us see large strategic housing and infrastructure developments as a threat to our community and to our wellbeing. Of course, this can be the case if we have little say on how new developments are created and placed within our environment.

Here at CFO, we have taken the stance that if development eventually happens then it is absolutely vital to make it work in the best interests of existing residents and those who will be moving in. We can do this by getting involved at an early stage. And this is where placemaking principles are key to turning the focus from just design and build to the people living in or near the emerging community.

We have some major strategic developments that will impact this county, the Oxford-Cambridge Arc plus other strategic sites which form the Housing and Growth Deal. In readiness, we are delighted to welcome our newest CFO Trustee, Bev Hindle, who is also the Executive Director of the Oxford-Cambridge Arc Leadership Group. Bev is keen to support placemaking wherever he can and we hope he will be an asset for CFO and for the communities we support.

With trustees in mind, we would REALLY love new people to join our board of trustees to better reflect the diverse county we live in – if you want to find out more about becoming a trustee then please contact Emily or Tom by email [email protected] or call 01865 883488

It doesn’t always have to be Difficult Development!