Parish Council accepts housing for village field but says density is too much
03/07/2025
The applicant was advised to increase the density by planning officers
A planning application to build 19 houses on a plot of land in the middle of Great Bourton looks set to be agreed, despite local people’s concerns that the density of the housing is too much for the site and out of character with its surroundings.
The applicant, Talbot Homes, initially indicated they wanted to build 9 properties on the field, which is to the north of Main Street. However, they were told by Cherwell’s planning officers that this “did not make effective use of land” and “a greater number of dwellings proposed on the site would be expected”.
The plans were revised to incorporate twelve standard 3-5 bedroom houses and seven 1 – 4 bedroom affordable dwellings, meeting the planning department’s requirements.
But Great Bourton Parish Council believes the new plans aren’t appropriate for the site. In their objection they said: “Whilst the Principle of development on this site is accepted we remain very concerned about the housing density as this is completely out-of-scale with the surrounding area, and represents the highest density in Great Bourton, this making the development visually dominant in an area of the village where densities are very much lower.” They also raised the issue of insufficient parking for the anticipated level of car ownership.
At today’s planning committee meeting councillors are being advised to grant permission for the scheme, with the council’s current failure to achieve official house building targets given as the main reason for approval.
Published: by the Banbury FM News Team
