Garden village plans lodged in West Oxfordshire

Developers have lodged plans for a garden village with 2,200 homes in West Oxfordshire, just north of Eynsham.

Grovesnor Britain & Ireland has lodged an outline planning application with West Oxfordshire DC.

The plans include provision for 2,200 homes, new primary and secondary schools, sports facilities, parks, allotments and 57,000 sq metres of employment space.

The new employment park is designed in particular to attract advanced manufacturing businesses.

The site was one of 14 garden villages endorsed by the Government in 2017 to help meet the UK’s housing need.

Grosvenor was appointed in the same year by local landowners to bring forward a planning application for an inclusive and sustainable scheme.

The scheme’s other commitments include:

• A net biodiversity gain will be achieved with 40% of the site remaining undeveloped, including just under four hectares of new woodland planted to preserve and improve natural habitats and capture carbon
• 20 per cent of the village’s energy demand will be met using renewable sources. Land will be safeguarded for a smart energy hub to connect to renewable energy projects and for an electric vehicle charging station
• All homes will be energy efficient, with a focus on building fabric that outperforms current Building Regulations • The entire site will use electricity for heating and hot water to help save up to 80 per cent of carbon emissions compared with gas heating
• Walking and cycling will be encouraged by a network of green, segregated routes linking homes and workplaces, including a dedicated cycleway to Hanborough Railway Station

Grovesnor’s project director for strategic land, Silvia Lazzerini, said: ‘This application is the result of extensive dialogue with the community, council and stakeholders to make sure we understood and listened to local priorities and shaped our masterplan around them.

‘The Oxfordshire Garden Village presents a fantastic opportunity to deliver the homes that the area needs.  It is also a chance to set a new benchmark for what a sustainable, deliverable development at scale can look like.

‘From the outset our vision has been to create a new community which respects the natural environment – a place where people and nature can not only live alongside one another, but actually thrive together. This outline masterplan is an early step on that journey to establish a neighbourhood that will grow and strengthen over time.’

The leader of West Oxfordshire DC, Cllr James Mills, added: ‘This is a major step forward along the road to seeing the garden village become a reality.

‘We will continue with public consultation and community engagement which are vital elements of this process.

‘It is important that everyone appreciates there will be two lots of consultation running closely together – one for the Area Action Plan and one for the outline planning application from Grosvenor Developments. They serve different purposes and if you want your views to carry maximum weight please respond to both,’ said Cllr Mills.

Photo Credit – Free-Photos (Pixabay)