Ten-home development of a farm in an historic village near Banbury is set to be refused

The planning application for Laurels Farm, for demolition of three barns and construction of nine new houses plus conversion of a barn to create another house, has been drawn up by landowner Trinity College, Oxford.

Six of the properties would be detached houses and four semi-detached.

Trinity applied for planning consent for this farm site in 2019 and 2020 but withdrew its applications. This new request is for four two-bedroomed homes, two three-bed houses, two four-bed homes and two five-bed houses including the conversion of the barn.

The site is part of a 1,200 acre farm and close to Wroxton Abbey and Wroxton Primary School.

Primary access to the 1.4 acre development would be across fields from Newington Road. Currently, access to Laurels Farm are narrow entrances in Dark Lane and Lampitts Green.

Planning officers have recommended the application be refused, saying the scale of the development is unacceptable and not in accordance with the Cherwell Local Plan.

Local residents say there would be a visual impact with the volume and density of the development being out of proportion with the surrounding area and detrimental to the views from the historic parkland adjacent to the site.

The new access into the site from the Newington Road would exceed the existing built area of the village. And some villagers do not believe the site’s centuries-old use as a working farm should be disregarded.

There is also a feeling the community would suffer from extra traffic and the change of the character of the village.

The planning officer, Imogen Hopkin says in her report to this Thursday’s planning committee meeting: “The layout of the proposal results in a cramped and constrained overdevelopment of the site, exacerbated by a lack of appropriate front landscaping. The proposal fails to reflect or reinforce the existing pattern or form of development within the immediate area and the character of the village.

"By reason of its scale, siting, design and nature, the proposed development would adversely impact the character and appearance of the area, which is exacerbated by the separate access proposed to Newington Road, which would itself adversely affect the character and appearance of the area. In addition, the Council is able to demonstrate a 5.4-year housing land supply, and therefore the housing strategies in the Local Plan are up to date.

"It is considered that the development of this site would conflict with the adopted policies in the local plan and would undermine the housing strategy in the Cherwell Local Plan, which seeks to distribute new housing to the most sustainable locations.

"Furthermore, the proposal constitutes residential development in the open countryside beyond the built-up limits of the settlement, for which it has not been demonstrated that there is an essential need.”

Ms Hopkin’s report says the detailed design of the dwellings is convoluted, as it includes poor fenestrations, lack of landscaping and modern glazing which is out of character with the wider area.

"The proposed dwellings would result in a contrived design which would have a detrimental impact to Wroxton Conservation Area and the visual amenity of the area,” she said.