A major scheme for 1,450 homes on the edge of the city due to be considered this month has raised fears over the strain on resources in the area.
Christ Church College submitted an application to build new homes at land north of Bayswater Brook in January with the plans now ready to be put forward for councillors to vote on.
Developers intend to begin construction on the site in 2024 with development anticipated to be completed by 2035 if approved by district and city councillors.
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Christ Church has partnered with property company Dorchester Residential Management for the scheme.
But people living in the area fear the plans risk “overwhelming” GP surgeries and putting “extreme pressures” on Headington roundabout, Barton councillors have said.
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Despite the application including plans for a new primary school and contributions towards expanding secondary and SEN education, councillors are concerned the development, which will cover 57 hectares, will lead to traffic carnage at Headington Roundabout and new residents unable to find a GP surgery willing to take them on.
Labour county councillor Glynis Phillips, who represents the Barton, Sandhills and Risinghurst ward, said the current road infrastructure in place was “not adequate” and warned the “extreme pressures” on the Headington Roundabout will only become worse.
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Ms Phillips said: “I have expressed my opposition to this proposal as there is a lack of road infrastructure.
“The pressure on Headington roundabout is extreme and this is only going to get worse with 1,450 more households regularly using it.”
Ms Phillips said she had been receptive to hearing what mitigations Christ Church planned to put in place but said these “were not going to be adequate” when there was “only one roundabout to exit and enter the development”.
The application includes plans for a new pedestrian and cycle bridge across the A40.
The developer and Christ Church have argued this will provide a safe link connecting Barton, Barton Park and Bayswater to Oxford.
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However, Ms Phillips highlighted that people would still need to use their cars and “will need to exit the Headington roundabout to go through the Barton community”.
Ms Phillips acknowledged the College had “done a lot within the local community” but she pointed out this did not solve the problem of “one roundabout taking on all these additional pressures”.
Another primary concern for Ms Phillips is the “lack of primary care facilities and GP surgeries in the surrounding area”.
Ms Phillips said: “The GP surgeries in the surrounding area are already full so I’m not sure where they think residents will be able to book an appointment.”
Labour Party and city councillor Mike Rowley, who represents the Barton and Sandhils ward, said the lack of any other GP surgeries on the estate was a “major concern”.
Currently the only GP surgery close to the development site, Hedena Health, is already being expanded to meet further demand from patients who live in the Barton Park area.
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When asked whether there was a risk the current GP surgery would be overwhelmed, Mr Rowley said: “There is a real risk it could be overwhelmed as it cannot take anymore patients on.
“If Christ Church gets its way and the houses are built, then where will people go?”
Mr Rowley said nearby surgeries were currently at capacity and he didn’t see how the proposal could go ahead unless this issue was resolved.
Mr Rowley highlighted he had met with the developer to try and improve the proposal but he remains against the application.
He suggested Christ Church’s pledge to contribute money towards secondary education was not enough, as this did not solve the problem as to where these extra children will be taught.
He explained: “If there is a payment towards secondary education that is welcomed but not the end of the responsibility of a developer because where do those classrooms go.
“Are we going to ram kids in classrooms which are above the maximum they are supposed to be?”
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Christ Church has promised that 50 per cent of the new homes will be affordable which is on top of an additional 120 assisted living properties.
However, Mr Rowley is still sceptical and said it depends on what you mean by affordable.
He said: “Some of the housing undoubtedly will be but I’m concerned that not enough of it will be.”
The proposal also includes plans to refurbish the existing Wick Farm buildings and Grade II-star listed Well House to create a vibrant local centre.
Treasurer at Christ Church, James Lawrie, said the college was “delivering vital homes to address Oxford City’s unmet housing need” and highlighted these homes will “sustainable” and include “renewable and low carbon technologies”.
He added: “We look forward to giving this development a distinct identity that integrates seamlessly with the surrounding landscape and will provide amenities and facilities for use by the existing communities at Barton, Barton Park and local villages to help bring the communities together through an innovative approach to long-term stewardship.”
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As part of the application, the college and Dorchester Residential Management have proposed to enhance the natural flow of the Bayswater Brook and to create new wildlife habitats.
The land in question was allocated for strategic development in the South Oxfordshire Local Plan of December 2020 and can be viewed on both Oxford City Council and South Oxfordshire District Council websites.
A Christ Church spokesman said: “In January 2023, South Oxfordshire and Oxford City Council registered applications by Christ Church and Dorchester Residential Management for 1,450 new homes along with 120 assisted living units (including 50 per cent affordable homes including a variety of tenures).
“The application for land north of Bayswater Brook followed over two years of community and stakeholder engagement alongside technical studies and work with other organisations.
"The site itself is identified in the South Oxfordshire Local Plan.
“The application included detailed transport modelling and other studies to demonstrate that the measures we are putting in place, including changes at Headington Roundabout, improvements for bus users, new pedestrian routes and cycle lanes and a bridge over the A40 will manage any impacts from our site.
“Our project will also make significant contributions to health care in the area and we are working hard with local GPs, the integrated care board and wider stakeholders to ensure they support the new and existing communities around our site.
"It will also deliver a new primary school on-site and contributions towards expanding secondary and SEN education as well as a nursery, two new community facilities, shops, a restaurant, café and a co-working hub.
“Our plans will help meet a very real shortage of new homes in Oxford and in particular homes with a variety of tenures more accessible to a wide range of people.
"We believe the work we have put in to understand the area and develop an appropriate scheme mean we can make an important contribution to bridging this gap.”
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