Oxfordshire 200-home farmland plan amid fears for village

Developers, Mac Mic Strategic Land Ltd, have applied to West Oxfordshire District Council seeking permission for houses and a shop on 11.78 ha of land near Standlake just outside Witney.

The parish of Standlake, which also includes Brighthampton village, has a population of less than 1,600 people.

The proposed development site (Image: edge Urban Design/WODC planning portal)

Ahead of planning application submission, developers requested feedback on plans from residents, which it referenced in its proposals.

Statements included, “it will completely alter the pleasant character of the existing village” and “Standlake will lose its village status”.

The plans said: “The overriding vision for the site is to create a high quality landscape-led place that integrates with the existing landscape and context of Standlake to deliver a sustainable addition to the village for up to 200 dwellings, in addition to a small local convenience store.”

A map of the planned development (Image: edge Urban Design/WODC planning portal)

Previously, in 2018, a 100-home development was refused for the site amid sustainability concerns and fears about increased car use.

Recent feedback included fear for “safety issues” and increased traffic at A-road junctions creating “particular risks near the primary school”.

Further concerns were raised over the loss of green space and impact on “wildlife and birds”.

The plans said: “Sewage, drainage and flooding were the most commonly mentioned concerns throughout the feedback received.

“Most respondents highlighted concerns about the capacity of local sewage infrastructure and the impact of the development on local flooding.

“Many expressed existing issues with Thames Water and that they’d like to see improvements to this infrastructure before any development takes place.”

This comes amid reports of tankers regularly being deployed to pump excess wastewater for disposal during periods of heavy rainfall.

The planned development would partly overlook a lake, and is close to the River Windrush.

A resident said: “The proposed location is regularly flooded in periods of heavy rain and additional building will be likely to be detrimental to the existing inadequate water courses and add to the flood risk for the proposed development and other Standlake properties throughout the village.”

The proposals say the development location is not likely to flood.

Describing the planned homes, it said: “The proposal can provide a variety of housing types and tenures which increases local housing choice and need within the area.

“The convenience store is proposed near the southern access point on The Downs, providing community facilities to new and existing residents.”

It adds: “The scheme also proposes a high-quality network of green spaces, including soft and native landscaping, areas of wildflower planting and attenuation features.”