Plans for 74 homes in Cropredy refused by Cherwell council

Applicant Obsidian Strategic Asset Management hoped to build 74 houses on the northern edge of Cropredy, a village on the River Cherwell four miles from Banbury.

The scheme proposed a mix of one, two, three and four‑bed homes, with 48 for the open market and the remainder marketed as affordable, a blend of rented and shared‑ownership properties.

But Cherwell District Council refused the application, ruling that the scheme would amount to an unacceptable expansion of the village into open countryside and would harm its rural setting.

Concerns were also raised about the pressure 74 extra homes could place on local services, from roads and drainage to schools and health facilities.

Objectors argued that the development was poorly connected to the rest of Cropredy, would increase car dependency and risked eroding the character of the settlement’s northern approach.

CGI of the development (Image: Pegasus Group)

Planning officers had warned the proposal conflicted with local planning policies designed to steer major housing growth towards larger, more sustainable locations rather than small villages.

They concluded that the benefits of extra housing, including the promised affordable homes, did not outweigh the identified landscape and sustainability harms.

Obsidian Strategic Asset Management can appeal the decision to the Planning Inspectorate or submit a revised scheme, but for now the fields on the edge of Cropredy will remain undeveloped.