Controversial plan for 60 homes outside village close to Banbury are set get the green light

Experts in the planning department at Cherwell District Council have recommended councillors accept landowner Brasenose College’s outline proposal for 60 homes between the edge of Cropredy and its canal marina.

But a village campaign group says this is a ‘bolt-on’ development that dangles a Trojan Horse in the promise of a new GP surgery.

The consent would be conditional on a raft of schemes to be agreed for such elements as roads, flood risk elimination, habitat, lighting, water, air quality, roads and cycle routes as well as an agreed Section 106 agreement – where money is handed over to support local services.

A packed public meeting to discuss the proposal was held in Cropredy in January. Residents were concerned that if houses were built, many may end up in the hands of landlords, as has happened in Keytes Corner which is adjacent to the ten-acre develoment site.

Development agents, Obsidian Asset Management Ltd, said the plan is an ‘appropriate and proportionate extension to the village’ which, they say, has a declining population, making it difficult to sustain. Campaigners say the plans are far from ‘appropriate and proportionate’ and believe it opens the door to further development nearby.

The council received 179 letters of objection with five letters in support. The objections include the impact on highway safety, isolation of the development outside the village, a 30 per cent increase in Cropredy’s population, loss of wildlife, inadequate services in Cropredy, the impact on existing water supplies, possible flooding and loss of farmland.

In her report to Thursday’s planning meeting, a Cherwell District Council officer says the positive benefits include a contribution to the council’s housing supply – a target for housebuilding set by government.

“The proposals would create construction jobs and also support facilities and employment in businesses, shops and services within the area. In addition, the proposal is providing a new health care centre, which will also include additional employment in the local area. This is also being provided at nil capital cost to the NHS. This is a significant benefit.”

She said the plan would provide some affordable housing for those in need with the benefit of on-site recreation and play facilities for all village residents. Section 106 money would support a range of infrastructure for the community.

“The proposed health care centre will provide an improved health care provision for the local residents and new residents,” she says.

“Cropredy has a number of services and employment opportunities. It is a Category A village, although its bus service has stopped since the adoption of the CLP 2015 and accordingly it has lower sustainability credentials than in 2015. Nevertheless, officers note that the Milcombe appeal was allowed for 35 houses for a smaller Category A village, albeit with a regular bus service.”

She said the negative impacts were that the site is positioned beyond the existing built-up limits of the village on the western side and is an area of countryside.

"There would be some urbanisation of the site and it would result in some harm to the character and appearance of the locality.”

“Overall, it is considered that the identified harm to the character and appearance of the locality is outweighed by the significant benefits of the scheme and it is recommended that outline planning permission is granted.”

Jo Samways, from the Keep Cropredy Rural campaign group, said: "Keep Cropredy Rural are deeply concerned that approval to this development opens the door to a much larger scale development.

"This proposal creates a bolt on housing estate, connected to the village only by the main road, and outside the boundary.

"Although the planning officer says the housing estate provides a contribution to the housing supply, the housing supply in villages in Oxfordshire has already been met."

The campaigners are also sceptical about the developer's proposal for a medical surgery alongside the development, describing it as a 'Trojan horse'.

"This is being dangled like a carrot - but there is no transparent agreement in place - and the head of terms is convoluted," said Jo.

"If the land is being donated, who is actually paying to build the surgery, kit it out, and how will the GP afford the rent?

"Questions must be raised about the Independent Care Board being able to fund such a colossal surgery. And the fact that Oxfordshire County Council's estimate it will bring 2,530 additional car journeys into the village a week.”

Jo added: "Obsidian say that they will build cycle paths - this is a village in a dip. The only route out of the village is uphill to main roads.

"Residents who work in Banbury are unlikely to want to cycle to work, and those that need to commute further afield are unlikely to want to cycle for four miles before beginning a train journey to London or Birmingham.

"The scheme talks about an improved bus route - does anyone on the committee understand that public transport is never going to be regular enough to get someone from Cropredy to the train station in Banbury to begin a commute? We don't have a daily bus service at the moment."

In relation to the surgery, Ben Johnson - planning director at Obsidian Strategic - the applicant for the development, said: “We have been delighted to work closely with the Cropredy Surgery and the local NHS, so that this new housing also supports a much-needed asset for the village.

“We all know that the NHS is struggling for funding, and can’t always afford to provide the facilities that people want from their local medical services. Responsible property developers and landowners can however step in to provide the land, funding, and expertise to do so.”