Government policy favouring high density development threatens to alter dramatically the character of the residential section of Kidlington High Street, part of which is a conservation area.

An application to demolish bungalows at the Exeter Road corner and replace them with high density flats could set a precedent for further schemes.

The developer's planning consultants have already carried out an assessment and concluded that there appears to be "considerable scope" for redevelopment.

The planning application they have submitted covers two bungalows at 64 and 66 High Street, which they seek to demolish and replace with eight flats in three blocks.

One of these blocks will be three floors high and will be a "marker building", meaning it will be distinctive and highly visible from the shopping centre.

A new building frontage will be introduced to Exeter Road, with a two-storey block that will fill the space between the marker building and the adjacent bungalow in Exeter Road.

The third block is in High Street and is one and a half storeys high. Parking is provided for 10 cars.

The frontage of these flats includes large balconies, which are intended to partly compensate for the lack of amenity space in the scheme.

Large windows mean that about 50 per cent of the High Street elevations are glass in aluminium frames.

The development site is directly opposite the High Street conservation area and faces two listed buildings.

The character of High Street in this area is distinguished by the garden frontages and greenery on the conservation area side and the low-profile development on the other, enhanced by the last remaining (for now) green space at the junction with Exeter Road.

These features all contribute to the open feel and general amenity of the area enjoyed by the many people who walk through it every day.

The council's Local Plan says: "Many spaces in village streets are important and cannot be filled without detriment to their character."

A number of concerned residents are preparing to lodge objections. Whether these will have any effect remains to be seen.

What is certain, however, is that a key area of Kidlington is about to undergo major and rapid change.

The decisions taken now with this application (No 08/01528/F on www.cherwell.gov.uk) will influence those that follow and so will have wider implications in terms of amenity, traffic, water runoff and so on that will affect many of us.

JEFF LYES High Street Kidlington