Oxfordshire Scout group plans for campsite win approval

On Thursday, May 21, plans were approved to allow the Witney Buttercross Scout Group to create a site on land north of Park Road, in North Leigh.

The plans state that the Scout group is one of the largest in the UK with around 350 young members (aged four to 18 years old) and 60 adult volunteers.

The proposal says the field “will be used for informal outdoor recreation” between March and October during school terms, on weekdays 6pm to 10pm, and for “weekend camps and some holiday daytime use”.

It adds: “Additional community access for local youth groups and North Leigh Primary School is also proposed.”

The site is not in the green belt or in any conservation areas and the land is held in a trust for the Scouting group.

The field where the campsite is planned (Image: Edgars Plannin/ WODC planning portal)

According to plans, there is no West Oxfordshire site that fulfils the Scouts’ requirement for outdoor activities and camping, which are “fundamental to the way in which Scouting helps to educate and develop young people”.

In North Oxfordshire, there are two Scout campsites at Youlbury and Horley.

1st Banbury Scouts celebrating centinary at Horley camp in 2010 (Image: (Supplied))

A planning officer’s report stated: “The four public comments received include representations from scout groups and North Leigh Parochial Church Council.

“All are supportive of the development due to the perceived community benefits but concerns are raised regarding access and the impact on traffic on Park Road.”

It noted: “The proposal would utilise the existing access track for ingress and egress. This track currently serves the allotment and the current stables.

“The highway authority have considered the application and raised no objection on highways grounds.”

The site would be accessible by bus, with the Windmill Road stop on Park Road, 150m from its entrance.

The proposals stated that although the plans are not held to biodiversity gain requirements, the “additional woodland planting” would be a “notable benefit” of the scheme.

A planning officer stated the development would support “local services and community facilities to meet local needs and to promote social wellbeing, interests, interaction and healthy inclusive communities”.

The plans note: “The officer suggested that a temporary facility near the access point may be necessary to provide a toilet whilst proposals for a more permanent structure are developed in the future.

“This solution would likely be suitable on a temporary basis whilst the facility establishes but would be conditioned to be removed within a reasonable time period in the interests of landscape and visual amenity.”