Key developments lined up for garden village planning process
An application for outline planning permission for the Oxfordshire Cotswolds garden village is expected to be submitted to West Oxfordshire District Council shortly.
The move by Grosvenor Britain and Ireland, land promoters acting on behalf of the owners of the site near Eynsham, has been highly anticipated and will represent a major milestone in the planning process.
It 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.
It will provide the legislative framework against which the outline planning application will be measured.
The final public consultation relating to the garden village AAP will take place this summer once approved by full Council on 29 July. A planning hearing is anticipated in the autumn with adoption by the Council by the end of the year.
The official name of the garden village will also be unveiled at the Council meeting following a competition which generated more than 100 suggestions.
Cllr Jeff Haine, Cabinet Member for Strategic Planning, said: “Public consultation and community engagement has been at the heart of this process since we lodged our bid with the Government for a garden village to be sited here.
“We intend to continue with that process of engagement as the planning process progresses. It is important that everyone appreciates there will 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.
“These are exciting developments which will help bring the Garden Village project to life in the not too distant future.”
For more information see:
Notes to editors
A key element of the West Oxfordshire Local Plan 2031 is the establishment of a new garden
village to the north of the A40 near Eynsham.
It will be a new standalone settlement of 2,200 new homes and a new science business park
which will give local people an alternative to driving to work in Oxford.
In addition, the nearby Hanborough railway station together with a new Park and Ride facility
to the north of Eynsham will give people an alternative to using their cars.
It will have its own village facilities, such as a school and community resources, whilst taking
proper account of environmental considerations and planned infrastructure improvements.
The new garden village will make a major contribution towards providing much-needed
homes and jobs in a high quality living environment. It will also unlock funds to improve
infrastructure and boost the case for improvements to local transport links, including
upgrades to the A40.
An Area Action Plan is needed for any location or area of significant change; it sets out how a
new development will be taken forward, what it will look like and how it will function.
It was stipulated that there should be an Area Action Plan for the Garden Village as part of
West Oxfordshire’s Local Plan.