CAMPAIGNERS have criticised plans to build 1,500 homes in Woodstock, which would double the size of the town.

The Blenheim estate has given Pye Homes the chance to build on a piece of greenfield land east of the town.

There would be a 120-unit care village, a supermarket, primary school, 300-space park-and-ride facility, a football ground, a community sports ground and 80,000sq ft of employment space.

An undisclosed portion of money from renting and selling the homes and other facilities would go towards the upkeep of the Blenheim World Heritage Site. But last week 70 residents packed a Woodstock town council meeting to lodge their objections to an outline planning application for the scheme.

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After the meeting the council lodged its formal opposition to West Oxfordshire and Cherwell District Councils, both of which will debate the application as it straddles their boundaries.

Woodstock town councillor Sharone Parnes said: “The character of the town is such that it will jeopardize surrounding agricultural land and the character of the town itself. It will have a huge effect on traffic coming in and the proposed retail centre would detract from the trade in the town centre shops, many of which are already closing.

“The infrastructure in the town is not there to make that size of development sustainable.”

Mr Parnes said there would also be a need for an additional secondary school for potential pupils.

Roger File, property director for the Blenheim estate, said the Palace was pursuing the development to help the district councils meet their Government housing targets, as well as providing much-needed revenue for the upkeep of Blenheim Palace and gardens.

Mr File said: “We’re doing the same as any landowner in Oxfordshire and putting sites that are sustainable locations to meet the severe shortage of housing numbers that are being looked at.

“There is also an argument that the World Heritage Site does have a funding deficit and because it’s the only World Heritage Site in the world that doesn’t have public funding, it has to generate revenue to ensure that it is maintained for the future.

“The proposal we are looking at will bring renewed vitality to the centre of Woodstock.”

To comment on the plans visit www.cherwell.gov.uk or www.westoxon.co.uk

ESTATE SALES WOULD FUND REPAIRS

Blenheim Palace revealed in September last year it was considering selling part of the 10,000-acre estate to fund £40m repair work needed over the next 20 years.
Since then, details of a number of planning schemes have been revealed.
At Bladon, plans to build 27 homes and 10,000sq ft of offices at Home Farm by renovating existing farm buildings and constructing new homes were approved by West Oxfordshire District Council’s planning committee last week.
In this case the Blenheim estate plans to use its own contractors to complete the work. An undisclosed percentage of money from the sale of the properties and office leases will be ploughed back into Blenheim Palace and gardens.
Approval was granted in May for 58 homes on land owned by the Blenheim estate to the north-east of Marlborough School.
Plans to build 169 homes on land south of Witney Road in Long Hanborough are pending approval by WODC.

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