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Oxford United warned against banking on Kidlington stadium plan
19/01/2022
Councillors opted to apply the brakes and launched a four-week consultation
by Andy Mitchell, Local Democracy Reporter
Oxford United Football Club has been warned building a new stadium in Kidlington will be no “quick and easy” fix by a councillor who serves four authorities in the area.
United announced talks with Oxfordshire County Council, the authority that owns Stratfield Brake Sports Ground, Kidlington, over the possibility of building a new 18,000-capacity stadium, hotel, retail and conferencing facilities and training and community grounds on the site.
The county council’s cabinet – the authority’s ruling group – was advised to allow officers to enter negotiations with the club but councillors applied the brakes and instead launched a four-week public consultation starting on January 25 to pull together opinions on what has been a hot topic.
“Exploratory discussions” have been permitted in the meantime with the outcomes of those and the consultation to be considered by the cabinet in March.
Councillor Ian Middleton (Green, Kidlington South), who serves on the county, Cherwell District, Kidlington Parish and Gosford & Water Eaton Parish councils, vowed to remain “cautiously neutral” in the face of “excitement and trepidation”.
However, he listed a number of potential pitfalls, not least that gaining planning permission “is likely to be a major stumbling block”.
While the county council may own the site, any development would be subject to Cherwell District Council’s planning committee approving the use of greenbelt land – the type of area where building is restricted.
“A major concern for me is that the proposed site is on greenbelt in an area that has already lost a significant amount of similar land to new development,” said Cllr Middleton.
“Large chunks of greenbelt have been given over to provide housing for Oxford city and this has caused a great deal of anger and discontent as well as a distrust of the local planning authority. To expect more greenbelt land to be swallowed up on a scale like this may be a bridge too far.
“The original acquisition of this site was intended to ensure the maintenance of what is now known as the Kidlington gap, to prevent sprawl from Oxford city.
“It is fair to say those aspirations have already been seriously undermined by the district council in allocating numerous development sites around the area so any further development on what is left of that gap will need serious consideration by all local authorities, not least Oxfordshire County Council.
“It should also be borne in mind that the greenbelt status of the land is likely to be a major stumbling block given the nature of the proposals being made so far.
“There are also concerns about the overall impact of such a large development on local infrastructure. I know the site is being characterised as sustainable in terms of transport but there are still questions as to how those claims will stack up in practice.”
He added: “I would also sound a note of caution to what I understand are the club’s expectations of this being a quick and easy location.
“This is a complicated site, not only because of its setting but also because of the leasing structures involved and the fact that there are potential planning obstacles relating to the site’s greenbelt status.
“If time is of the essence, I would advise against putting all their eggs in this particular basket.
“That said, I look forward to hearing further details over the coming months and working with residents, (council) officers and the club to further explore the potential of this site.”
Published: by Banbury FM Newsteam