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Land between Abingdon and Botley the most likely, says report
TALKS OVER SITE FOR 3,000 HOMES VALE of White Horse District Council met on Thursday for further talks on the potential building of 3,000 homes on Green Belt land between Abingdon and Botley. The talks came as district councils across Oxfordshire are likely to have to increase the number of houses they accommodate as Oxford City Council struggles to meet its housing requirement. However, Vale councillor, Sandy Lovatt, who represents Abingdon Dunmore ward, said he believed other Oxfordshire councils were better equipped to deal with overflow than his own. Cllr Lovatt said: “Cherwell and South Oxfordshire councils both have land where they can build more housing. “Its seems to an extent like the Vale is being picked on because half of the Vale is Green Belt land.” A report published earlier this month by Vale planning
By Alexander Ballinger alex@taylornewspapers.co.uk
officers said Oxford City could fall between 8,000 and 16,000 homes short of its target. Because of the Government mandated ‘duty to co-operate’ on local authorities, Cherwell, South Oxfordshire, West Oxfordshire and the Vale could be forced to share the overspill from the city. The Vale report also considered sites at Wantage and Faringdon for the 3,000 homes, but said the most likely choice would be between Abingdon and Botley. Director of the Campaign to Protect Rural England Oxfordshire, Helen Marshall, said: “The Vale is already struggling to show the ‘exceptional circumstances’ needed to justify its existing plans for over 1,000 houses in the Green Belt. It is also proposing to take nearly 20 sites out of
the Green Belt, and it is now pretty clear that these would be fi rst in line for consideration when it comes to the next round of development. “Green Belt is virtually the last place we should be thinking of for accommodating any overspill, not the fi rst. The whole point about the Green Belt is its permanence.” No formal decisions were made at the Vale’s scrutiny committee meeting last Thursday, but comments from it are being referred to the Vale’s cabinet. The debate about where the city’s overspill housing should go is likely to be a future topic of discussion for the Oxfordshire Growth Board which acts as a platform to aid cooperate between councils. Cllr Lovatt said: “The board exists for co-operation between councils but it can be difficult because each council is looking after their own interests.”
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Bridge awarded game accolade
DAY’S Lock, near Little Wittenham (pictured), has been named as the country’s sixth best bridge for playing the game of Pooh Sticks made
famous by author AA Milne’s Witney this year. Winnie the Pooh books. VisitEngland released a list It was the site of the World of the 12 best bridges to play Pooh Stick Championships the game last week. until the contest moved to See Page 2 for full story.
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