Gladman’s attempt to build up to 160 homes at Chalgrove has been refused for a third time.
South Oxfordshire District Council’s planning committee voted unanimously to refuse the scheme to develop a 10.94-hectare arable farm off the B480 at its July 2 meeting.
Gladman’s first bid to build the homes was refused in 2022, due to conflicts with the Development Plan, landscape harm, lack of archaeological information and no legal agreements for infrastructure and affordable housing.
The refusal was then upheld at appeal in 2023.
The current version of the scheme, changed only slightly, was submitted by Gladman earlier this year. In the application Gladman stated: “The planning context has changed materially since the dismissal of the previous appeal.”
However councillors at the July 2 meeting voted it down, against officers’ recommendation, on four counts; conflicts with the Development Plan, landscape harm, impact on school places and lack of connectivity.
Cllr Jan Russell, vice-chair of Chalgrove Parish Council, told the meeting Chalgrove Primary School has 210 places but 224 pupils and she described similar problems at others.
She said: “Parents on this new site will have to drive considerable distances to find new schools.
“This is having an impact on locals, especially in social housing, where small children are being taxied many miles to schools, costing OCC and the taxpayer a lot of money.”
She said the last bus from Chalgrove to Oxford leaves at 6pm and people, who were moved to social housing in Chalgrove, experience loneliness and a lack of jobs.
She added: “If you build a house in the middle of a field you get no schools, no doctors, no shops, no employment and a feeling of complete isolation.”
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