West Oxfordshire village fears councillors 'must' approve 40 new homes

Solihull-based developer Terra hopes to build 40 affordable homes off Cote Road in Aston near Witney with a new road access from the Marsh Furlong development and landscaping.

Over 200 letters of objection have been received to the scheme which is also opposed by local councillors over infrastructure concerns.

West Oxfordshire District Council's lack of a five-year supply of housing land means decision makers should approve unless there are robust reasons and adverse impacts significantly and demonstrably outweigh the benefits. 

Russell La Forte, chairman of Aston, Cote, Shifford and Chimney Parish Council, said: "There is a very real risk that permanent harm will be inflicted upon our village in order to satisfy the short-term expediency of helping make good the catastrophic failure in WODC planning policy - a failure that has no doubt delighted cynical developers but dismayed besieged residents.

"This is a situation of WODC's own making that should have been foreseen and I worry that the residents of Aston may now pay the price."

Terra says the scheme is "a high quality development in a sustainable and desirable location".

Planning documents say "the proposal is of a scale that is proportionate to the size of the settlement, and will not have any adverse affects in terms of highway safety, amenity of neighbours, visual impact, heritage, ecology or any other environmental requirements". 

Submitting the application in April, Jordan Langdon-Bates, Land and Development Director for Terra said: "At last count, there were 87 households on the Housing Register who expressed a preference for accommodation within this civil parish.

"Meanwhile, the affordable housing shortfall across West Oxfordshire has been rising in recent years and currently stands at over 300 homes.

"Our proposals can deliver 40 much-needed homes to help to tackle this affordable housing crisis."

Outline planning permission for up to 30 homes, including up to 50 per cent affordable homes, was refused by the council in 2016. It was appealed by the developer but the reasons for refusal were upheld by the High Court.

Mr La Forte said: "Since then, we have seen a 23 per cent increase in housing stock imposed upon us, with all-too-predictable harms ensuing."

A brochure No To Terra produced by the parish council lists traffic and congestion, flooding and chronic issues with sewage infrastructure, pollution in waterways and 'over development' as concerns. 

Windrush Against Sewage Pollution (WASP) has suggested a condition that no development should begin until there is a necessary upgrade to foul drainage by Thames Water.

Mr La Forte said: "To add insult to injury, Terra is now seeking to wriggle out of 47 per cent of the Section 106 contributions due from them that are supposed to mitigate the impacts of their development on our community, thereby lining their pockets even further at the expense of our children's education."

Terra has committed to full contributions towards public transport services, household waste recycling centres and off-site sport and leisure facilities.

But it states that the commitment to providing affordable housing and EPC A rated dwellings means that they can only afford 47 per cent of the £517,098 requested for education contributions 'before the scheme starts to become unviable'.

Officers have recommended approval, subject to entering into a S106 agreement with Terra.

Councillors, particularly those on the region’s two planning committees, were critical of planning officers when the housing land shortfall was confirmed.

WODC has been approached for comment.

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This story was written by Miranda Norris, she joined the team in 2021 and covers news across Oxfordshire as well as news from Witney.

Get in touch with her by emailing: Miranda.Norris@newsquest.co.uk. Or find her on Twitter: @Mirandajnorris

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