PLANS for 116 new homes have been approved on the condition that charging points for electric cars will be made possible in the future.

Housing developer Persimmon Homes is set to build the new estate in Chinnor on a field between the rear of Greenwood Avenue and the Chinnor and Princes Risborough Railway.

On Wednesday, South Oxfordshire District Council debated the company's latest detailed plans for the development, including details of the associated infrastructure, landscaping, parking, open space and reptile habitat.

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Amongst other changes, the amendments have reduced the number of dwellings proposed from 132 dwellings in the initial submission, to 116 dwellings of which 40 per cent will be 'affordable'.

Persimmon Homes does not have plans for solar panels and will be using gas boilers.

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However, the developer has planned to have a wildlife corridor for the endangered slow worm population, cycle parking and electric charging points for 58 homes.

Despite these plans, the majority of the councillors felt strongly that Persimmon Homes should be providing better infrastructure for a more environmentally-conscious future, considering the Government has declared that from 2030 combustion engine cars will no longer be available for sale.

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It was pushed by councillor Sarah Gray for the developer to provide electric charging points for all of the homes. It was then decided that a condition should be implemented that Persimmon Homes also provide electric vehicle ducting as well as their 58 charging points, to make it possible for more charging points to be installed in the future.

Ms Gray said: “For sure it is the affordable homes that are not going to have the charging points, so it is not acceptable and I think it is perfectly reasonable that we require it now.”

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Councillor Jo Robb agreed and said: “Given our climate emergency, it seems utterly ridiculous and such a wasted opportunity that at the very least the opportunity for electric vehicle charging through at least wiring it in while the roads are going in, I cannot fathom why this is not being done now, It will require expensive measures in the future.

“Furthermore, the fact that these houses are going to be to run on gas boilers, we are going to have to retrofit them at some point and is Persimmon going to pay for that? Of course they are not – we’re going to pay for that.”

She added: “I don’t like the landscaping, I don’t think there are enough trees, we are looking at potentially heat islands and in some cases very small housing that doesn’t even meet our minimum standards for external amenity space.”

In addition to the concerns over electric vehicle charging points, several councillors did not like the architectural design of the homes, however, agreed that it was down to personal preferences.

Plans were approved with an added condition to provide electric vehicle ducting to make it possible to add the charging points for electric cars in the future for every dwelling. Five councillors were in support of the motion and four against.