Cherwell councillors refuse planning application for 49 new home development in Banbury neighbourhood

Cllr Kieron Mallon, who serves on the district council and Banbury Town Council for the Easington area, spoke out against the development's proposal. The proposed 49-home development was for the Bretch Farm and Balmoral Avenue area of Banbury.

He said it would have led to a Ruscote landlocked site in Easington, in effect with no connectivity to the rest of the ward and all the residential traffic entering and exiting through Easington on to the busy Broughton Road.

Cllr Kieron Mallon, who led the opposition to this speculative development, said the following at the meeting: “I strongly oppose this application as I opposed the earlier one.

"I do not understand how it even got to the planning stage. This land is not even in the adopted Cherwell Local Plan. The council needs to have a rolling three year housing land supply. In fact it has a 4.4 year supply so has extra and above the requirement in reserve.

"It also has brownfield sites in the plan that are not being encouraged enough to come forward, it is therefore speculative and premature.

“To add insult to injury whilst this development lies in Ruscote Ward the proposed access, up a totally unsuitable steep winding road was from Easington, namely Balmoral Avenue South.

"So my constituents would have had to endure all the HGV and construction traffic, the environmental and air pollution, and the residential traffic for ever more, with safety concerns whilst Ruscote residents would have all the S106 and developer funding. For my residents it will be all the pain for no gain.”

When put to the vote on Thursday October 8 only two members voted for the planning officer's recommendations and all others voted against.

Cllr Mallon added: “I am delighted that the planning committee agreed with my request, and those of local residents. This is a brilliant example of how residents and their elected representatives can come together and achieve positive outcomes.”