Merton College’s plans for 540 homes in Yarnton, Oxfordshire will be opposed by Cherwell District Council.
The scheme, which has already gone to appeal through non-determination, went before the council’s planning committee on November 2 for it to decide what its decision would have been.
Councillors voted by 16 – 0 with two abstentions to follow the officers’ recommendation to reject the scheme.
Along with the homes (42 per cent of them affordable), the scheme includes up to 9,000 sq m of elderly/extra care residential floorspace, a community home working hub of up to 200 sq m alongside play areas, open space of up to 1.8 hectares of sports and playing pitches and amenity space for the William Fletcher Primary School.
Reasons for refusal included that it fails to ensure delivery of informal parkland, insufficient biodiversity net gain, it fails to allow safe access from the school to its new fields, includes too little affordable housing (policy is 50 per cent) and has unsatisfactory mitigation measures for the impact of the scheme.
Members and public speakers spoke at length about the risk of flooding. Meeting chair Cllr George Reynolds praised those who made the case.
He added: “I think everybody is well aware it’s a major problem in that area and everything will be done t ensure this development does not increase the risk of flooding in Yarnton and Begbroke.”
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