Developer wants 175 more homes north of Dukes Meadow Drive

05/08/2022

Manor Oak Homes says the houses are needed as Cherwell isn’t keeping up with demands

A plan to build another 175 houses on farm fields to the north of Dukes Meadow Drive has been revealed by a developer, who has written to Hanwell Fields residents to notify them of the landowners intentions.

The proposed site lies opposite the shops on Lapsley Drive, and immediately behind a field where Cherwell District Council recently agreed to 78 homes being built, which the developer has described as “the first phase”.    If approved building further up the hill would be clearly visible from Hanwell.

An agent for Manor Oak Homes says the 175 proposed new houses would include 53 affordable homes on what they believe is “a natural extension to the Phase 1 proposal”.   Properties would include a range of smaller properties and family dwellings of a similar density to other nearby developments.

No planning application has been submitted yet and the developer has given local people until August 19th to reply with their views.

Cherwell’s new local plan, including proposed new development sites for the area, is set to be published later this year.   This application looks set to be submitted before that, with the developer saying their application is “to contribute towards the urgent housing needs of the district” which since their first application has “become even more critical with the Council now required to identify land for approximately 2,255 new homes simply to keep pace with demand”.

The area’s Labour Councillor Andrew Crichton was elected to Cherwell District Council earlier this year after the council agreed to the first 78 homes. 

He said: “I know we need more housing nationally, I know we need more housing in Oxfordshire, but the Hanwell Fields area has already taken a lot of new housing.

“Residents were promised another community centre – an extra one – which has failed to materialise.   Before we have more housing we need to know what investments are going to be made in local infrastructure and where this community centre is, which has been promised to residents but not delivered for the last decade.”

Councillor Crichton isn’t happy the developer has chosen not to wait until details of the new local plan are released this autumn.   He added: It seems a bit premature really and should have come after the Local Plan was put in place.   We don’t yet know what is in that.”


Published: by Banbury FM Newsteam

Reader's opinions
  1. Sandra Woodworth   On   06/08/2022 at 11:56 am

    53 “affordable ” homes out of 175! How will that help to lower the housing shortage?
    What we need are REAL affordable homes and less aspirational homes .

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