Witney, Carterton and Chipping Norton GROUP Thursday, October 5 - Wednesday, October 11, 2017
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‘Where’s the infrastructure needed to support homes?’ ‘We have not been listened to at all’ By Eva Astreinidou A GROUP campaigning against plans to build thousands of homes near their village say they have been ‘ignored’ by local officials who voted in favour of the plans. Eynsham planning improvement campaign have renounced plans that would more than double the size of their village in west Oxfordshire. At a meeting in late September, members of West Oxfordshire District Council voted in favour of the local plan, which includes a garden village with 2,200 houses built close to the nearby A40 and 1,000 for West Eynsham. The plans would mean a 150 per cent expansion of the village, and the group claim there is ‘no guarantee’ roads, schools and medical facilities would be able to keep up with the growth. After the vote, group spokesperson Nicky Chambers said: “Eynsham has not been listened to at all. We made representations to the council in July asking to see solutions for infrastructure before areas are designated for the homes. We don’t believe there is space for some of the infrastructure that is planned.” She said a bid for central government funding that would mean £135million is invested into improvement of the
A40 is “not enough”. She added: “It’s only a bid. It seems a little premature to designate land for development when there is not the infrastructure there to cope with it.” Council leader James Mills reiterated the ‘urgent’ need for more homes in the area at the meeting and stressed the Local Plan should be implemented as quickly as possible. This means continuing with building a total of 15,950 homes in West Oxfordshire by 2031. He said: “Having a Local Plan in place gives us control and so we will no longer be subject to often inappropriate planning applications that have been causing concern.” This comes following controversy that housing need in the area is overestimated, according to a new approach by central government. But WODC maintain that any plan submitted before April 2018 is not subject to change to fit in with the new approach. Councillor Jeff Haine, cabinet member responsible for planning at WODC, said: “We agree that it is important that the right homes are built in the right places. In west Oxfordshire we are in the fi nal stages of our Local Plan and the Secretary of State has made it clear that the current methodology for any Local Plan submitted before April 2018 should not change.”
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Runners really are all heart
Picture: Jason Broadhurst THOUSANDS of excited people waved to the camera as they ran through the stunning grounds at Blenheim Palace to help fight heart disease. The Blenheim Palace half marathon took place on Sunday, with 4,500 runners raising around £250,000 for ground-
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breaking research. In addition to the main course, there was a 2km fun run and a 10km course. Leanne Postlethwaite, event organiser at the BHF said: “Without the dedication of our inspiring runners, we wouldn’t be able to fund research
that has broken new ground, revolutionised treatments and transformed the lives of millions of people in the UK. “It’s always incredible to see thousands of people take on such a tough challenge and unite in the fight against heart disease.”