Deddington Development Watch

Planning Update 18 September 2017 - Potential development sites in the Parish

In July 2015 Cherwell District Council adopted a new 20-year strategic plan (Local Plan Part 1 2011–31) providing for the building of 21,734 new homes between 2014 and 2031. Subsequently, CDC has been working on two further plans:

- a Partial Review of Local Plan Part 1 dealing with Cherwell's contribution to Oxford's unmet housing needs; and

- Local Plan Part 2, which will focus on non-strategic site allocations for new housing and development management policies.

CDC is currently consulting on how best to accommodate the Oxford overspill. It has put forward plans to build an additional 4,400 houses on sites north of Oxford and around Kidlington, Begbroke, Yarnton and Woodstock.

Work on preparing Local Plan Part 2 has consequently been delayed, but Cherwell has recently published a Housing and Economic Land Availability Assessment (HELAA) which assesses the potential for sustainable development of some 290 sites across the District which have been put forward in response to 'calls for sites' to landowners and developers.

Under Local Plan Part 1 the 24 larger villages in the District, including Deddington, are to accommodate an additional 750 homes (on sites of 10 or more) between 2014 and 2031. These are to be allocated under Local Plan Part 2. Because of planning permissions granted in the meantime, it is understood that fewer than 150 remain to be allocated. Deddington Grange (School Ground) does not count towards the 750 since the planning permission dates from 2013.

Nine sites have been put forward around Deddington and one each in Clifton and Hempton. The sites assessed by the HELAA are:

  • 114 Home Farm, Clifton  4.35 acres
  • 116 Land north of Wimborn Close   4.62 acres
  • 117 The Poplars, Clifton Road   4.13 acres
  • 118 Western end of Pond Field, Earls Lane   5.24 acres
  • 119 Land to the north of Clifton Road   8.2 acres
  • 120 Land to the west of Banbury Road (north of Deddington Grange)  18.21 acres
  • 121 Land between Chapman's Lane and Oxford Road   8.23 acres
  • 122 Land off Hempton Road   3.88 acres
  • 123 Land east of Banbury Road and north of Fire Station   5.1 acres
  • 124 Part of Gas House field, Earls Lane   7.73 acres
  • 137 Land west of Hempton    5.54 acres
A copy of the HELAA may be found here.

Next, click on the second link to 'PR79 Final 2018 HELAA with Appendices (excl. App. 5)'.
Summaries of the site assessments may be found in App. 4 to this document (beginning on p. 81).
A map showing the nine sites around Dedddington may be found on p. 150 of this document.
For individual site plans, including Clifton and Hempton, please click on the fourth link to 'PR79 Appendix 5 - HELAA076-HELAA158' .

The HELAA identifies two sites adjoining the built-up limits of Deddington as potentially suitable for development, 3.88 acres on the west side of Wimborn Close opposite the entrance to the Windmill Centre (No. 122) and 5.1 acres east of the Banbury Road and north of the Fire Station (No. 123), although the latter submission related to developing one acre at the southern end of the field.

Where only part of a field has been proposed for development by a landowner or developer, the HELAA methodology is to treat the whole field as having been put forward for development. Sites 117, 118, 121 and 124 were also submitted for materially smaller areas than are assessed by the HELAA.

The HELAA assesses the suitability of the two above-mentioned sites 122 and 123 on the basis of 20 dwellings per hectare (d.p.h.), although the minimum density prescribed by the Local Plan is normally at least 30 d.p.h. (12 dwellings per acre). The reality is that as at Deddington Grange (School Ground), builders may be expected to push for the maximum achievable density.

The HELAA is a source of evidence to inform plan‐making. It does not determine whether a site should be allocated for future development. This is a matter for Local Plan Part 2 when it appears.

Nor does it mean that those landowners or developers promoting sites which have not been assessed as being potentially suitable to be allocated for development will be deterred from submitting planning applications.

The 11 sites assessed by the HELAA total 75 acres, enough for 600 houses at 20 d.p.h. and 900 at 30 d.p.h. This does not take account of any plans the Prudential may harbour for Grove Fields (20.5 acres), which could accommodate 165 homes at 20 d.p.h. and 250 at 30 d.p.h.

Hopefully the Neighbourhood Plan in the course of preparation will offer a degree of control over future development.

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Earlier Reports

Reports on the School Ground, Poplars, St Thomas Street and general planning covering the years 2012 to 2017 can be found here