Next phase of 1,880 home Willowbrook Park estate in Didcot

Croudace Homes and the University of Reading received outline planning permission for the estate to the north east of the town, since named Willowbrook Park, from South Oxfordshire District Council in June 2017.

The planning authority approved plans with the condition that each phase was brought back to the council with more detail including the appearance, layout and scale, and more.

Artists impression of Willowbrook Park (Credit: Croudace Homes)

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A total of 317 homes, ranging from two to four bedrooms, have already been built with the first phase of 201 homes approved in May 2019. The second phase of 57 homes was approved in August last year.

Plans also included a new £13m primary school, which will be built in another development called Willington Down nearby and is set to admit 510 pupils from the Willowbrook Park estate from next year.  It also includes 90 nursery places for two and three-years-old.

The new primary school: View towards Nursery Classrooms from the West (Credit: Croudace Homes)

Developers Croudace Homes have now submitted two further applications for 59 homes and 40 homes respectively.

The plans for the 59 homes, which will be for 70 per cent apartments and 30 per cent houses, were resubmitted last month after amending the mock-up drawings.

Plans also include be an electric substation, foul water pumping station, a holding basin for storm draining, associated resident and commercial car parking and a new cycle way.

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Aerial view of the 59 proposed dwellings in Didcot (Credit: Croudace Homes)

However, Didcot Town Council has recommended the plans be refused due to issues pointed out by Thames Valley Police’s crime prevention officer, Kevin Fox.

Mr Fox said the design and access statement did not “adequately address crime and disorder”. He said there were no details about the “physical security of the proposed communal dwellings” as well as “limited surveillance over the parking courts”.

In the newest application, developers said: “The proposed development is designed with security in mind, the layout and principle living accommodation of the home is orientated to overlook the public realm and car parking areas to provide natural surveillance.

“Simple boundary treatments have been designed to provide a good level of security and clear definition between public and private domains.”

Plans for the 40 homes, which will have 15 affordable houses ranging from two to three bedrooms, will be across 0.98 hectares of land.

Location of the 40 proposed dwellings, known as phase 3b ((Credit: Croudace Homes)

In the design and access statement, developers said: “To reflect the contemporary layout of this development parcel the layout has a grid-like and ordered arrangement.

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“Homes have been arrange to create strong well defined frontages to streets, framing to key public opens spaces and civic squares and to provide an ordered backdrop to landscape buffers.”

The planning authority aims to decide by October 4 this year.

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Read more from this author

This story was written by Gee Harland, she joined the team in 2022 as a senior multimedia reporter.

Gee covers Wallingford, Wantage and Didcot.

Get in touch with her by emailing: Gee.harland@newsquest.co.uk

Follow her on Twitter @Geeharland

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