PLANS for two “dangerous” pedestrian crossings in Abingdon are back on the table after a council failed to explain why it refused them.

Housing developer Taylor Wimpey has won a legal challenge against Oxfordshire County Council’s decision not to create the crossings in Ock Street and Marcham Road.

The crossings were made an essential requirement for a new 160-home estate on land off Drayton Road by a government planning inspector last year.

County cabinet member for transport David Nimmo Smith refused the crossings in March following traffic officers’ suggestions.

Oxford Mail:

  • David Nimmo Smith

Taylor Wimpey wants to build the estate, and successfully challenged the refusal of the crossings while it waits for a decision on its planning application.

The county council released a statement saying: “Following a legal challenge, the council has reviewed the process and considers that it did not make clear the reasons for its decision.

“It is therefore bringing the proposals back to the cabinet member for a full reconsideration on October 9.”

The plan in question is to create a new pedestrian crossing on Ock Street east of Drayton Road and move the current crossing on Marcham Road, to the west of Drayton Road, further west.

Abingdon town councillor Marilyn Badcock, who led protests against the first estate, warned that children crossing Ock Street to get to school would not change their behaviour to use the new crossings.

She said: “Children crossing are not going to walk further up to cross, they will cross where there is no crossing, it’s just what children do. If we start moving them, there will be an accident and I don’t want to be the one saying ‘I told you so’.”

An original plan by Hallam was objected to by Abingdon Town Council, dozens of residents, and finally refused planning permission by Vale of White Horse District Council. The developer won its appeal against that decision, but sold the land to Taylor Wimpey after Mr Nimmo Smith’s decision.

Taylor Wimpey submitted its own planning application to build the estate in May.

Abingdon Town Council has already objected to the plan, clerk Nigel Warner writing to the Vale: “The council can see no material change between this application and the application previously submitted... consequently I attach the council’s original letter of objection.”

Neither the council or Taylor Wimpey responded to the Oxford Mail’s requests for information about the legal challenge.

The district council’s planning committee is due to make a decision on the new application on November 30.

 

  • Do you want alerts delivered straight to your phone via our WhatsApp service? Text NEWS or SPORT or NEWS AND SPORT, depending on which services you want, and your full name to 07767 417704. Save our number into your phone’s contacts as Oxford Mail WhatsApp and ensure you have WhatsApp installed.