The latest incarnation of the Vale of White Horse’s local plan still accepts the housing numbers imposed on it, which assume employment growth will occur as planned in Science Vale.
As the Labour parliamentary candidate for Wantage, I am proud that Labour created the areas of outstanding natural beauty. As the Harwell Campus is a ‘brownfield’ site within one of these AONBs, it is itself a suitable site for new housing but we should not be destroying the open land around it for ever. If and when employment growth does materialise at Harwell, we could debate where further development could go, but that time appears a long way off given the current rate of development.
The district council does appear to have accepted that its original plans would have seen too much housing within unspoilt countryside, but its response has been to move much of this housing to distant places like Faringdon without plans to improve the creaking transport infrastructure. The council should reconsider its plans.
Stephen Webb
Chapel Square
East Hendred
Today’s letters
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