Major plans to build 45 homes, a community hall, and a new primary school in a village on the outskirts of Didcot have been submitted.
Long Wittenham Parish Council want to develop the land off Didcot Road into a collective ‘community hub’ which would act as an extension to the village.
The plans would also see the present site of Long Wittenham Church of England Primary School and the current Village Hall turned into homes.
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The application, in partnership with Thomas Homes, has been submitted to South Oxfordshire District Council, the planning authority, and is currently in consultation.
The current primary school site, which dates back to 1854, is considered to be outdated and no longer meet expectations.
The plans would see the Victorian building retained and converted into a five-bedroom house while the former playground would become a new public village green.
The new primary school would accommodate 100 pupils and also have playing fields and a nursery.
Thomas Homes also claimed the relocation would relieve traffic congestion on High Street caused by school drop-off and pick-up.
The current village was described in the planning statement as 'small, over-subscribed and lacks sufficient parking.'
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The new hall would feature a cafe, shop, meeting spaces, performance space, and is described as a hall ‘fit for purpose in the 21st century.’
Thomas Homes said: “Although centrally located and much valued by its users, the community would like a facility that can provide a wider range of uses.”
The plans would also see the improvement of the siting of the War Memorial which is currently located at the Primary School.
The ‘community hub’ would feature 45 dwellings - the bulk of which would be family homes while there would also be some terraced housing.
The homes would act as commercial activity to help generate profit to fund the development of the new school and community hall without using public money.
A parish council statement said: “The village’s challenges can be met by a strategic re-organisation of civic activities. At the heart of the strategy is the creation of a new community hub on a single site.
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“Since the existing Village Hall and primary school can no longer meet current expectations and cannot be modified to do so, it is now necessary to rethink their current location and form.
“This solution cannot put a strain on the public purse so it will be necessary to support the public service provision with other activities that generate enough profit to fund the entire scheme.”
The consultation period will end on June 8 and the target decision date is August 2.
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