District council planners are recommending that a major scheme for 60 homes in a village near Banbury be refused. 

Developer Gladman has applied for the homes at Quarry Close in Bloxham. 

Cherwell District Council's planning committee will decide the scheme on Thursday, October 3. 

The developer previously had an application refused at the same site and has since lodged an appeal. The last scheme had 189 objections, whereas the new plan has only had one. 

Supporter Angela Ford, of Tadmarton Road, said: “I support this application. I have adult children unable to live in this village due to the cost of property suitable for a young family. My son in law works as a secondary school teacher and unable to afford to buy property in this area. Moving over a hour and a half away in order to find cheaper rental property whilst trying to save the deposit for a property. 

READ MORE: Children's home get planning permission near Abingdon

Site plan (Image: Cherwell District Council) “We need properties that will offer the availability of properties in a village which they can be close to family and where family has lived for more than a few decades.”

Objector Adrian Brent, of Coleman Close, said: “The outline proposal would lead to a significant material harm to the living conditions of neighbouring residents. Statutory consultees will advise on the material harm caused in terms of traffic and the inability of the existing infrastructure including the primary school to accommodate additional development in principle.” 

Planning officers are recommending refusal over the potential harm it could cause to the area.
In their report, they said: “Overall, irrespective of the council’s housing land supply, it is considered that the identified harm to the character and appearance of the locality and the potential detrimental impact to protected species and their habitat the proposed development is considered to represent unsustainable development and would significantly and demonstrably outweigh the benefits of the scheme, and it is recommended that planning permission is refused. 

“By reason of its location more than 800m walking distance from the village centre and any key amenities in the village, the proposal would be poorly connected to existing development, such that future occupiers would not have a realistic choice of means of travel

“The site is located outside the built form of Bloxham and within an area of open countryside. By reason of its location and the proposed scale of development, the proposal would have a poor and incongruous relationship with the existing settlement appearing prominent in the open countryside and filling an important gap to Park Farm. Its development would therefore have an adverse effect on the landscape on the approach to Bloxham to the detriment of the character and appearance of the countryside.”