Controversial Oxfordshire homes approved despite concerns

Construction company Taylor Wimpey was granted the development on appeal in 2017 for up to 95 homes at Thames Farm, off Reading Road in Lower Shiplake.

It has since reduced this to 84 to provide adequate drainage because “the land is unstable and vulnerable to sinkholes”.

Taylor Wimpey said the new drainage plans will ensure there are no off-site impacts relating to surface water and this will include a basin on the western part of the site.

Members of the Thames Farm Action Group, which represents Shiplake residents, have concerns about the environmental impact of the scheme, which they say has no precedent in the UK.

The ground would have to be injected with grout and concrete to keep stable despite it sitting on top of an aquifer that supplies water to nearby towns.

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Freddie van Mierlo has consistently objected to the plans (Image: Contributed)

In July 2025, the planning committee of South Oxfordshire District Council voted to refuse the ground-stabilisation application despite a recommendation for approval.

Councillors cited concerns about possible impacts on the aquifer and public water supply.

The formal refusal notice stated the application “failed to demonstrate that the proposed engineering operations would not pose an unacceptable risk to the aquifer and nearby public water abstraction points”.

But now the plans have been given the go ahead by a separate planning inspector.

Despite objections from the district council the project appears to have been given the go ahead.

Freddie Van Mierlo, MP for Henley and Thame, said: “I will be working with The Thames Farm Action Group, Henley Town Council, Shiplake Parish Council and Harpsden Councils to ensure their voices are heard.”

The new report states there is a risk, but it’s “an acceptable level of risk” for the area.