Could historic farmland outside Banbury become 1.5 million square feet of warehouses? Un-named developer starts exploration process with council

The area outlined in red covering Huscote Farm has been submitted in the request to Cherwell and West Northants councils

The 108 acre site is on the eastern side of the M40 where the accepted M40 'barrier' for expansion of Banbury was broken to allow the current construction of the Frontier development on the A361 Daventry Road. Campaigners at nearby Nethercote called for transparency over the council's intentions.

"Huscote is a beautiful, unspoilt area of Banbury countryside. It contains remnants of the agricultural heritage of the area and the biodiversity supports an abundance of wildlife. At a time of climate crisis, when Government is working hard on Nature Recovery Strategies, it seems abhorrent that any consideration would be given to destroy what we already have in this area," said Lisa Phipps of Keep Nethercote Rural campaign.

The group is concerned at a developer asking for initial opinion before the local authorities have begun discussions about the principle of the area's sites for future development.

The historic farmland over which any future development would take place, if the site is accepted for a future Local Plan

The proposal, if it were confirmed, would cover farmland - which includes historic ridge and furrow grazing - known as Huscote Farm. This was the intended site for the relocated Midland Marts Banbury Cattle Market after the famous Merton Street mart was hurriedly closed in the 1980s. The Huscote Farm mart never materialised and has remained livestock grazing ever since.

The site crosses the district boundaries and requests for a 'screening opinion' have been sent to both authorities, Cherwell and West Northamptonshire. The developer's agent has approached the council to ask if a 'screening opinion' would be needed to indicate whether an Environmental Impact Assessment would have to accompany a planning application.It comes soon after Cherwell received a site location on equally historic farmland at nearly Nethercote, on the other side of the A422, as part of its 'call for sites' for the Local Plan Review 2040.

Mrs Phipps said: "Speculative proposals were submitted for the areas of both Nethercote and Huscote Farm area to in effect be concreted over and turned into industrial estates.

"Neither of these areas are currently within the Local Plan and therefore not earmarked or assessed for development. Our understanding from the published process is that, following the close of the consultation in November 2021, Cherwell District Council are currently reviewing the proposals submitted in the Call For Sites.

Historic ridge and furrow farmland, currently used for livestock grazing but which a developer would like to build an industrial estate

"Residents and wider supporters of the areas have to wait until the next stage of the Local Plan Review to learn whether either proposal is to be supported for inclusion into the next stage of Local Plan Review 2040 and this is not expected to be published until later this year.

"We are therefore confused and perplexed to learn that a screening opinion request has been submitted relating to the area surrounding Huscote Farm.

"It doesn’t seem logical that a developer would invest time and money into a project before such time that there was at least an indication as to whether the site will be considered for development," she said.

"Whilst we understand that planning matters are complex, situations such as this can create distrust amongst the public surrounding the integrity of the Local Plan review process and therefore more transparency is needed."

One Chacombe resident said: "It's so depressing on top of the Nethercote development, this is even worse."