Villages near Oxford could be 'swallowed up' by new homes

In the last month, almost 500 new homes have been approved in Kidlington and plans for 540 homes near Yarnton have gone to a Government appeal.

These applications are the first in a long line as Cherwell District Council plans for 4,400 homes to be built in the area by 2031.

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But the rampant development has been opposed by councillors and villagers who fear losing the ‘Kidlington gap’ that separates them from Oxford.

Councillor Ian Middleton says villages could be swallowed up by rampant development (Image: Contributed)

Councillor Ian Middleton said: “If you study this area on a map, you will see that these villages are going to be swallowed up and become unrecognisable in 20 years.

“You can say that’s progress, but for people who have moved here to live in a rural area, they are disconcerted.” 

Mr Middleton, who represents Kidlington South on Oxfordshire County Council, also raised concerns about the amount of planned university housing and facilities in the area.

The 540-home plan near Yarnton was submitted by Merton College, a constituent college of Oxford University, while 800 new homes are planned for Water Eaton and farmland north of Cutteslowe Park by Christ Church college and Bellway.

Mr Middleton said: “We’re going to end up with places like Yarnton and Begbroke becoming like new campuses for the university built around their facility.

“We were not happy about what was going on in the area anyway, but areas like this are pretty much going to be turned into university campuses by stealth.

“Part of the reason I got involved in local politics is because I felt so aggrieved about what they’re planning to do here.

“It’s a 5,000 year old rural community that is going to be turned into a university area.

“It feels like a bit of an imposition.”

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In 2020, there was uproar when Cherwell District Council agreed to meet Oxford’s housing needs by allocating 4,400 new homes on land surrounding Kidlington, Yarnton and Begbroke in its Local Plan.

Then-councillor Katherine Tyson said at the time it was akin to “spitting in the face of local residents,” while Helen Marshall, director of the Oxfordshire branch of the Campaign to Protect Rural England, said it would be like “two new Didcots.”

Now, villages are seeing the first wave of this new housing.

North Oxford Golf Club is designated for 1,200 new homes

As well as the plans in Kidlington, Yarnton and Water Eaton, an application is expected soon for more than 1,000 homes at North Oxford Golf Club.

The Banbury Road course is designated for 1,200 homes by the council, and members have voted to accept an offer to leave the course by October 2025.

Fears have also been stoked by Oxford United’s plans to build a new stadium in an area of land known as ‘The Triangle’, south of Kidlington Roundabout.

The county council agreed to lease the land to the club in September.

Suzanne McIvor, secretary of the Harbord Road Residents' Association in Cutteslowe, said: “The Kidlington Gap is unfortunately lost.”

“Residents in area have many concerns around the development of the Kidlington Gap including traffic and congestion which is already severe at times. 

“It is also sensitive to accidents on the strategic road network such as the A34. 

“This may be made worse by the proposal for a football stadium in the area with planned road closures for matchdays.” 

“Other local issues are air pollution, the lack of waste water and sewage treatment capacity, water scarcity in periods of dry weather, and the impact on already busy GPs, pharmacies, and hospitals.”

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But rural communities are starting to push back against the new housing plans.

Merton College's plans to build 540 homes near Yarnton have gone to a Government appeal.

Significant opposition was mounted to Merton’s 540-home Yarnton plan when it was decided by the council’s planning committee last Thursday.

A flood defence group claimed it would worsen flooding in Yarnton, which sits on low-lying land near the Thames floodplains and is already plagued by frequent floods.

An agent on behalf of Merton refuted the claim, but the district council still voted against the development due to “technical issues” with the application.

The contentious plans will now go to a Government inquiry, but Cherwell's planning officers said they were confident the issues “can be overcome.”

District councils and MPs have also resisted plans by Oxford City Council to expand housing into neighbouring districts including Cherwell.

Oxford West and Abingdon MP Layla Moran, who represents Yarnton and Kidlington as part of her constituency, said: “Neighbouring districts are already obliged to build thousands of homes that the city council claims it doesn't have room for.”

The city council has admitted that it was a “big ask”.