Plans to build 43 new homes in village near Banbury submitted to district council

Developers, Greystoke Land Ltd., have submitted the planning application with Cherwell District Council for the building of the new homes on Station Road Hook Norton. The plans for the new housing development also include an attenuation pond.

The plans involve developers providing a range of housing to include 10 two-bedroom homes, 27 three-bedroom homes and six four-bedroom homes.

The application from the developers claims the delivery of 43 new homes within the next five years contributes to both the local and national need for more housing.

The application said district council refused a planning application in 2015 for the development involving the building of 48 new homes at the same site. The current applicant contents one of the previous reasons for refusal no longer applies, which was the absence of a need for more housing. The current applicant contends there is a substantial need for the delivery of affordable housing within Cherwell District in line with the National Planning Policy.

Another reason for the previous refusal was a lack of information regarding the vehicular access to the site. The current applicant contends considerations have been given to the formation of the access point off Station Road.

A half dozen people have filed comments online with Cherwell District Council, most of which involves neighbours submitting their objections to the housing development.

Anyone interested making a comment on the proposed development should click on the 'Comment on this application' icon using the following web link: https://bit.ly/3cBBznRSeveral neighbours have submitted objections online with the district council to the proposed 43-home development on Station Road.

One neighbour questioned why the proposal is even being considered when a number of homes still remain unsold in the new Scholars' Gate development.

Another neighbour said: "I live in the Sidings, from where we enjoy a beautiful view of the field where this housing development is planned. This development would over look my property, causing loss of privacy. This is a Greenfield site. It is agricultural land, used for growing crops (unlike The Grange & The Sidings, which were built on the Brownfield site of the old Railway line and Stanton Engineering). This field is not bordered by settlement to the North or to the East.

"Hook Norton has already had several new housing developments. The latest one - Scholar's Gate is still being built. It's a lot to take on for this village, when more and more houses are built without any infrastructure improvements. The issues it would cause go beyond the construction noise and construction traffic that it would create and the subsequent use of the new homes. Creating 43 new homes on this site would impact road safety on Station Road. Traffic already speeds out of the village along this straight bit of road before the 30 zone ends.

Another neighbour submitted 'strong objections', which included how they believed congestion would increase in and around the village with addition of the new development.

This resident's objection also said: "The roads in and around in Hook Norton are narrow and are difficult to use with the current traffic levels - more housing will mean more congestion,

delays, frustration and potential accidents and more noise.

"I feel that Hook Norton has had enough housing development in recent years. It is big enough. Plenty of empty houses so we do not need additional housing. This will eventually destroy the feel of the village - the reason why we came to settle in Hook Norton in the first place. we do not need this development at all."