Homes plan approved despite protests (From Oxford Mail)

North Oxford homes plan approved despite protests

3:40pm Saturday 15th December 2012 in News

A NEW house has been given planning permission in North Oxford despite dozens of objections from neighbours.

Residents opposed a plan to knock down a house in Blenheim Drive, off Woodstock Road, and replace it with two semi-detached homes.

At a meeting of the city council’s west area planning committee on Wednesday, Nigel Bray, who lives in the road, disagreed with a report by officers claiming the new house would be “comparable” with those nearby.

He said: “The proposal makes no sense in design terms and will do ever-lasting harm to Blenheim Drive.”

The deputy chairman of the committee, Wolvercote councillor John Goddard, agreed with Mr Bray and urged his colleagues to throw out the application.

He said: “To my mind this is unacceptable. It is not respectful of the street scene.

“This is a matter of opinion of course, but I think anyone who knows Blenheim Drive very well will know there is no other building in the existing street that looks remotely like what is being proposed.”

But only committee chairman Oscar Van Nooijen and Green Party councillor Elise Benjamin joined him in voting against the proposed development.

The existing house is divided into two flats but as part of the plans this building will be demolished and replaced by one building containing two five-bedroom family homes with car parking and a cycle store.

At the meeting, Nik Lyzba, the applicant’s agent, said: “This is not an unusual proposal in this part of North Oxford.”