Oxfordshire: 75-home development plan submitted to council

In 2022, planning permission was granted to Crest Nicholson Operations following a successful appeal.

A consultation process is now taking place for locals to have their say on the plans.

Councillor Liam Mackenzie for Ducklington said in a statement: “I would encourage residents to read the plans and add any comments before June 16.

“I have additional concerns granting the same developers permission to build new houses, when they still haven’t completed parts of phase one of Colwell Green.”

West Oxfordshire District Council initially refused permission in March 2022 because the initial permission for the whole development, granted in 2017, included an area which would have an  employment use and was meant to include a hotel and office space.

The housing estate will have only one access point in Witney for cars at the end of Millet Way and another for pedestrians and cyclists at the end of Rye Crescent.

The plans consist of 23 three-bedroom houses, 19 four-bedroom houses, and three five-bedroom houses.

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The developer has also said that 19 houses would be ‘affordable rent’, eight houses would be for first-time buyers, and three would be for shared ownership.

The developer has also assured a new play park would be built at the south east side of the development.

Mr Mackenzie also raised concerns that there would only be space for 15 visitor parking spaces after construction of the houses is over.

The application seeks approval until Tuesday, May 17 of the design, layout, landscaping, scale and access arrangements for the residential scheme on land south-west of Downs Road.

The planning covers the finer details of how the development would be delivered, including the appearance of the homes, the road layout, public spaces and landscaping.

The plans are under consultation, with residents and stakeholders invited to comment before a decision is made by the council.

If approved, the development would add 75 homes to the area as part of ongoing housing growth on the western edge of Witney and Curbridge..

The application was received by the council and validated on Monday, May 18.

The development was originally refused by West Oxfordshire District Council’s planning committee in 2022.

However, the proposal was subsequently allowed on appeal in May 2023, enabling the scheme to proceed to the detailed design stage

Under the plans Crest Nicholson will add more homes to the 257 already permitted at Colwell Green, a site that used to be home to the now-defunct Witney Town Football Club and has two industrial units backing on to it.