Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects (NSIPs) in Oxfordshire

Current NSIPs in Oxfordshire

List of current live NSIPs, which are at various stages

OCC’s approach to NSIP engagement 

Information for NSIP developers and project promoters on OCC’s expectations for engagement and cost-recovery.

OCC’s approach to charging for ‘relevant services’

Oxfordshire County Council (OCC) will seek to enter into a Planning Performance Agreement (PPA) with NSIP developers. Based on OCC’s significant experience hosting NSIPs, entering into a PPA helps to establish a mutually agreed, commercially robust, and clear set of principles for both parties.

PPAs will be agreed to on the basis of full recovery of the reasonable cost of ‘relevant services’ provided at all stages of the NSIP process: pre-application, acceptance, pre-examination, examination (including providing written representations / attending hearings), recommendation, decision, and post-decision. The expectations and principles for NSIP PPAs are set out in OCC’s NSIP PPA template and explanatory memorandum which sets out the expected Performance Standards for the Applicant and Council (Schedule 1 (the Applicant’s Performance Standards) and Schedule 2 (the Councils’ Performance Standards), respectively). OCC has also produced an explanatory memorandum providing clarity as to the drafting of some elements of the PPA to facilitate productive discussion with developers looking to negotiate PPAs with OCC.

• Template PPA for NSIPs between a developer and OCC (pdf format, 386 KB)
• Explanatory Memorandum for Template PPA for NSIPs between a developer and OCC (pdf format, 271 KB)

Where a PPA is not agreed, the council will nevertheless seek to exercise the power provided to it by s54A of the Planning Act 2008 to recover the full and reasonable cost of ‘relevant services’ provided in relation to the proposed development as a ‘Prescribed Public Authority’ for the purposes of the Infrastructure Planning (Fees) Regulations 2010 as amended by the Infrastructure Planning (Fees) (Amendment) Regulations 2026.

Reg12A(4) statement

Regulation 12A(4) of the Infrastructure Planning (Fees) Regulations 2010 (as amended) set out the requirements that a ‘Prescribed Public Authority’ may charge fees under paragraph (2) only in accordance with a statement published on its website which:

• describes the relevant services in respect of which fees are charged 
• sets out the fees (or, if applicable, the method by which the fees are to be calculated) 
• refers to any provision in an enactment pursuant to which the relevant services are provided.

Set out below is OCC’s statement in accordance with Regulation 12A(4):

Description of ‘relevant services’ in respect of which fees are charged

‘Relevant services’ are defined by s54A(2) of the Planning Act 2008 as: … any advice, information or other assistance (including a response to a consultation) provided in connection with:

• an application or proposed application
  • for an order granting development consent
  • to make a change to, or revoke, such an order
• any other prescribed matter relating to nationally significant infrastructure projects.

In line with the above definition, OCC will seek to recover the full and reasonable cost of ‘relevant services’ provided at all stages of the NSIP process: pre-application, acceptance, pre-examination, examination (including providing written representations/attending hearings), recommendation, decision, and post-decision.

Examples of relevant services that Oxfordshire County Council intends to recover costs for include:

• Environment and Planning
• Libraries
• Museums and history
• Parking
• Public transport
• Roadworks
• Schools
• Transport and travel
• Waste and recycling

And as appropriate:

• Adult social care
• Children and families
• Music service
• Registration services
• Weddings

OCC’s fee structure

OCC will apply the hourly rates for the ‘charging for work of officers in Environment and Highways for bespoke Planning Performance Agreements and other bespoke agreements’; these are on pages 27/28 of Fees and Charges 2026/27. Oxfordshire County Council’s fees and charges are reviewed annually for the following financial year by its Cabinet. Legal costs and any external specialist expertise will be set out separately as required. It should also be noted that Reg12A(3) allows fees to take account of the expenses of anything which is reasonably incidental to the provision of the relevant services by the public authority.

In addition to this, OCC can charge as normal for the following statutory functions that have their own schedule of fees: Lead Local Flood Authority (LLFA), Archaeology, Highways.

OCC has significant experience participating in Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects (NSIPs). As part of any PPA, OCC can provide an initial estimate of fees (for the purposes of cost recovery) covering the lifecycle of an NSIP. For further information, please email NSIPs@oxfordshire.gov.uk at the earliest opportunity.

Enactments (legislation, regulation, etc.) pursuant to which fees are charged for provision of ‘relevant services’

The Infrastructure Planning (Fees) (Amendment) Regulations 2026, which came into force on 8th June 2026, amended The Infrastructure Planning (Fees) Regulations 2010 to add host local authorities (defined as ‘[a] local authority in whose area the land is situation’) to the list of prescribed public authorities set out in Schedule 2 of the amended 2010 Regulations. Regulation 12A(4) provides such prescribed public authorities the power to charge applicants/proposed applicants fees for relevant services provided in connection with applications / proposed applications under s54A of the Planning Act 2008.

Section 111(1) of the Local Government Act 1972 provides Local Authorities with the powers to do anything involving the expenditure which is conducive or incidental to the discharge of any of their functions.

Section 93 of the Local Government Act 2003, allows the Council to charge for providing discretionary services.