Action group is formed to protect village from being absorbed into Banbury

Residents of Hanwell held their first official meeting under the banner Keep Hanwell Village Rural. Its members belong to Hanwell and neighbouring villages who support their campaign to protect their community.

Chair Chris Brant said residents have simply had enough of overbuilding to the north of Banbury into the countryside and ever closer to historic Hanwell, swallowing up valuable Grade 2 agricultural land in the process.

He said: “As described to me by one resident ‘The urban creep keeps getting closer and now it’s no longer a creep but an urban land grab. Banbury can back off – hands off historic Hanwell’.”

The formation of the action group comes after a developer announced ambitions to build another 170 houses in the last two agricultural fields that separate the village from the town.

“Hanwell is no stranger to the large-scale housing developments that now surround the village to the south. But this time it's different,” said Mr Brant.

"There is now a real possibility that Hanwell could be swallowed by housing developments, becoming a suburb of Banbury and losing its rural village identity if developers and landowners get their way.”

In August Vistry Homes submitted a screening opinion application to Cherwell District Council to build 170 houses on the fields between Hanwell and Banbury. The council responded with a request that the developer completes an Environmental Impact Assessment, which is currently being carried out on the two fields.

Hanwell Parish Council has been garnering opinion from residents whose concerns include the large increase in traffic flow through the village and on roads to and from Banbury since Hanwell Fields and Hanwell Chase estates were built.

Other concerns raised at parish council meetings included the impact that more housing in the area would have on the current high pollution levels in Hennef Way. The road is one of the most polluted roads in the South East of England.

The overwhelming majority of concerns were around the loss of rural village identity and the destruction of existing countryside that surrounds Hanwell.

At the inaugural action group meeting last week, committee members began their plan of action to put a stop to any more building of homes – or commercial properties – on the two fields that make up the proposed Vistry site.

A fundraising coffee morning event will take place at Hanwell Village Hall on Saturday, November 5 from 10am - 12pm.

"This will be the first of many community fundraising events to fund the ambitious campaign to protect, conserve and enhance Hanwell’s rural village setting and identity,” said Mr Brant.

Those wishing to support Hanwell’s fight against the developers can find more information on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram by searching ‘Keep Hanwell Village Rural’. A new fundraising website for the campaign has launched at www.keephanwellvillagerural.com

The action comes hot on the heels of Keep Nethercote Rural campaign which is also trying to prevent development in its back yard – see story here.

The Banbury Guardian this week asked Cherwell District Council for details of its policy for deciding on such a development on a greenfield site outside the Banbury limits. We will publish its response as soon as we receive it.