Defence against new housing linking Hanwell with Banbury may be weakened because council cannot meet its housing quota

Cherwell District Council (CDC) has admitted that because the council has not met its targets, the planning guidance may not have as much strength as it should.

This week, the village action group, Keep Hanwell Village Rural, released a video setting out its case. The householders of the 120-home, historic village, say if the Vistry development plan is accepted by Cherwell, Hanwell will become part of Banbury.

The group hopes the forthcoming draft local plan, for which consultation starts in December, will not include the two fields on which Vistry wants to build.

A spokesman for CDC said: “Vistry Homes are aware that their speculative proposals would not comply with adopted Local Plan policies. They are also aware that CDC cannot currently demonstrate a deliverable 5-year housing land supply. In such circumstances, the weight afforded to planning policies for housing development is reduced, in accordance with National Planning Policy Framework guidance.

“The Council has not to date given any indication of how it might assess a future planning application submission. If an application is ultimately made, we would need to consider the planning balance of likely harmful and positive impacts of development before making a decision.”

In its video Keep Hanwell Village Rural chairman Chris Brant said: “Residents are passionate about protecting and conserving its historic village and rural village setting for future generations.

“Residents recognise the demand for more housing across the country and Hanwell has been no stranger to new housing developments to the south of his parish. Over the last seven years, Hanwell has seen over 1000 new houses built close by or what was in its parish boundary.

“Residents… now face the possibility of … hundreds of houses being built between Hanwell and Banbury.”

Mr Brant said a dense plantation of trees separating the town from Hanwell was established as a green buffer that the council required developers of Hanwell Chase to plant ten years ago, saying Banbury ‘would stop here’.

"We're hopeful our councillors are listening to residents in Hanwell and Banbury and to those many people who come and use this countryside who say the current infrastructure just doesn't work with the amount of housing developments - and how will it work with even more houses and more developments in the local plan?

"The local plan consultation will open in December. This is when residents will have their say on options for new development sites across the district,” he said.

"Residents here are hopeful that these fields between Hanwell and Banbury will not be in the draft local plan in December and that they can continue to be used as Grade 2 agricultural land - a haven for local residents and for wildlife for many years to come.”

For more information on the work of the action group see https://www.keephanwellvillagerural.com/

CDC has advised Vistry that given the size of the site area and the scale of development envisaged, in accordance with the requirements of the EIA Regulations, any such application would need to be accompanied by a full Environmental Statement.