Grosvenor lodges plans for garden village in West Oxfordshire
Grosvenor Britain & Ireland has lodged an outline planning application for the Oxfordshire Garden Village to the north of Eynsham.
The application has sought to adapt garden village principles for the 21st century - ensuring it will meet the community’s future economic and social needs, while paving the way for a substantial reduction in carbon emissions.
The masterplan sets out provision for 2,200 homes, new primary and secondary schools, sports facilities, parks, allotments and 57,000 sq metres of employment space. The new employment park is designed in particular to attract advanced manufacturing businesses.
The site was one of 14 garden villages endorsed by the Government in 2017 to help meet the UK’s housing need. Grosvenor was appointed in the same year by local landowners to bring forward a planning application for an inclusive and sustainable scheme.
The application has aimed to establish a benchmark for community engagement. Local residents and front-line service providers have been closely involved in the design process through a series of events, exhibitions and study tours of other award-winning developments.
A two-day interactive design workshop in May 2019 was attended by over 100 residents, community groups and stakeholders including Natural England, the Building Better, Building Beautiful Commission and local landowners.
Oxfordshire Garden Village is the first new community outside London designed to act on the ambitious sustainability goals set last year by Grosvenor Britain & Ireland to address the climate emergency.
Commitments include:
- A net biodiversity gain will be achieved with 40% of the site remaining undeveloped, including just under four hectares of new woodland planted to preserve and improve natural habitats and capture carbon
- 20 per cent of the village’s energy demand will be met using renewable sources. Land will be safeguarded for a smart energy hub to connect to renewable energy projects and for an electric vehicle charging station
- All homes will be energy efficient, with a focus on building fabric that outperforms current Building Regulations • The entire site will use electricity for heating and hot water to help save up to 80 per cent of carbon emissions compared with gas heating
- Walking and cycling will be encouraged by a network of green, segregated routes linking homes and workplaces, including a dedicated cycleway to Hanborough Railway Station
Opportunities to design in further sustainability measures to help meet local aspirations around net zero carbon will be explored through the build-out period for the development.
The application is the largest to date for Grosvenor’s Strategic Land division, which aims to have a portfolio of at least 30,000 homes by 2023.
Silvia Lazzerini, project director for strategic land at Grosvenor Britain & Ireland, said: “This application is the result of extensive dialogue with the community, council and stakeholders to make sure we understood and listened to local priorities and shaped our masterplan around them.
“The Oxfordshire Garden Village presents a fantastic opportunity to deliver the homes that the area needs. It is also a chance to set a new benchmark for what a sustainable, deliverable development at scale can look like.
“From the outset our vision has been to create a new community which respects the natural environment - a place where people and nature can not only live alongside one another, but actually thrive together. This outline masterplan is an early step on that journey to establish a neighbourhood that will grow and strengthen over time.”
The application comes as a key piece of legislation for the site, the Area Action Plan (AAP), nears completion.
The AAP is the culmination of comprehensive work involving public meetings, events and consultations along with the compilation of expert reports showcasing the concept, vision and proposals for the garden village.
Cllr James Mills, Leader of West Oxfordshire District Council, said: “This is a major step forward along the road to seeing the Garden Village become a reality.
“We will continue with public consultation and community engagement which are vital elements of this process.
“It is important that everyone appreciates there will be two lots of consultation running closely together – one for the Area Action Plan and one for the outline planning application from Grosvenor Developments. They serve different purposes and if you want your views to carry maximum weight please respond to both.”
AECOM acts as planning consultant for the project, with Terence O’Rourke delivering design and master planning and Stantec providing engineering support.
Details of the plans will be published on the West Oxfordshire District Council website for the public to view in due course: