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Keep Hanwell Village Rural says villagers have been unequivocally let down
01/08/2024
“this decision will … open the door to more speculative green-space land grabs”
The Keep Hanwell Village Rural action group has responded to last week’s Planning Inspector decision to allow the Vistry Group’s application to build 170 houses in fields alongside the Warwick Road.
The Inspector overturned a ruling by local elected decision makers, eroding the gap between Banbury and Hanwell and leaving just 12 metres between a Hanwell village property’s garden and the new Banbury development.
Robin Aitken, the group’s chair, said “Hanwell village’s Keep Hanwell Village Rural action group and residents in all nearby villages, including Horley, Shotteswell, Drayton and Great Bourton, are extremely disappointed by this unexpected outcome to allow Vistry to build 170 new homes on such valuable Grade 2 farm land, not to say the inevitable coalescence between Hanwell and Banbury that this will entail.
“The KHVR action group did everything in accordance with the rules and provided plenty of counter evidence at the appeal inquiry to back up our concerns, including presentations by Parish Councillors from Hanwell, Horley, Drayton, Shotteswell and Great Broughton.
“We also provided an illustrative 25-minute video containing aerial imagery and further evidence from nine other parties, including professionals in the field of heritage, archaeology and astrology. The government inspector Mr Young decided not to show our video at the inquiry which we feel didn’t help our cause in any way, since it demonstrably illustrated just how close this new housing development will be to the Conservation Area of Hanwell and the northern boundary of Banbury at Hanwell Chase.
“Residents of Hanwell, Hanwell Chase and all surrounding rural villages feel they have been unequivocally let down by this decision, given that both parcels of land occupy an area that is bordered by a 20m tree buffer that rural and Banbury residents were told would be the final barrier between Banbury and the countryside.
“We feel this decision will also open the door to more speculative green-space land grabs all the way down to the current housing development at Southam Road. This is a very sad day for north Banbury residents, rural communities, wildlife and farming.”
Published: by Banbury FM Newsteam