‘More housing is inappropriate land-use’: Villagers object to plans for 200 homes on agricultural land near Banbury
A village campaign group has issued an objection to plans to build up to 200 new homes on agricultural land to the north of Banbury.
The Keep Hanwell Village Rural has warned that Trinity College’s proposal to construct a new housing estate would cause irreversible harm to the rural setting and character of the area.
Trinity College, through Savills, submitted the plans to build up to 200 homes on land off the Warwick Road in March this year.
In the cover letter attached to the proposal, Trinity College said the development would include “at least 30% affordable housing”, “shared footway/cycleways and pedestrian crossing infrastructure”, plus “around 3.50 hectares of public open space”.
The proposal also states that the development site would not disturb any conservation areas and is free of any historical constraints that could halt development.
However, the Keep Hanwell Village Rural (KHVR) group say the plans will place “more strain on an area already overwhelmed by large-scale housing growth".
Tom Sadler, chair of the KHVR action group, said: “The Trinity College proposal for yet more housing to the north of Banbury totally is inappropriate land-use.
“It is yet another attempt to violate the wishes of Banburyshire residents, whose wishes for future development are very clearly represented by the delayed update of the Cherwell Local Plan. This plan takes account of numerous consultations over the past five years and is currently awaiting approval by the Planning Inspectorate.
“Whilst central government has mandated increased housing targets, this must not give house builders carte blanche to build wherever they want. This proposal rides roughshod over the Local Plan and presumptions within current planning policy.”
The campaigners also say the development would cause harm to the character and landscape of countryside around Hanwell, as well as Drayton and Horley.
Mr Sadler added: “The Trinity Proposal for 200 houses on countryside in Drayton Parish represents an unwanted and unnecessary assault on the open countryside. It would have an unacceptably high visual impact on the surrounding landscape, and threaten coalescence between Banbury and villages of north Cherwell.
“We encourage residents to oppose this planning application: making the case for protecting our countryside and excellent high-grade farmland; conserving the rural setting of our villages; and directing future development towards re-investing in Banbury rather than enabling further urban sprawl.”