New homes could be cut by third (From Banbury Cake)

New homes could be cut by third

5:30am Thursday 29th July 2010

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FUTURE plans for housing in Banbury could drop by almost a third after Government targets were scrapped.

The move comes after Local Government and Communities Secretary Eric Pickles effectively tore up the South East plan, which set housing targets for local authorities, and passed decision making back to councils.

Now Cherwell District Council has been forced back to the drawing board over where housing will be built across Banbury, Bicester and surrounding villages.

Last week, councillors approved a motion asking its planners to reduce the number of houses expected to be built in the district by 2026, from 13,400 to 11,800.

According to Cherwell’s local plan, released in February, Banbury had been due to take a total of 3,071 homes, but now that figure could drop by at least 800 to 2,271.

Councillors hope to retain the proposed Canalside redevelopment of 1,200 homes, which is dependent on a £14m flood alleviation scheme.

But two schemes of 400 houses each at a site west of Bretch Hill and Bankside are expected to be shelved.

Planning permission has already been granted for 1,070 homes at Bankside, and land in the area has also been allocated as the new home for Banbury United Football Club.

And two reserve areas which were allocated for housing, land north of Hanwell Fields, 400 homes, and land west of Warwick Road, another 400 homes, remain in doubt.

The move has been welcomed by Cherwell Heights Action Group, which fought for five years to stop the Bankside development.

Chairman Bob Madge said: “Any reduction in the number of houses to be imposed on the residents of the south of the town will be good news and for the town as a whole.”

The action group had major traffic concerns over the first phase of the Bankside development, which is yet to start, and had warned a second phase of 400 would have seen roads gridlocked.

Mr Madge added: “Anything that ceases to add to the traffic nightmare has to be a slight relief in the pain.”

Rural areas are also likely to see a reduction in new homes, while Bicester will take the lion’s share of Cherwell’s 11,800 target with 3,000 new homes built at an eco settlement on farmland at north west Bicester up to 2026.

Villages including Adderbury, Bodicote, Bloxham, Deddington, Cropredy, Hook Norton, Sibford Gower/Ferris, Fritwell, Steeple Aston, Finmere, Fringford, Milcombe and Wroxton are likely to see less development.

Michael Gibbard, Cherwell’s executive member for planning and housing, said: “The council has however set out its general direction of travel on this issue in a motion approved by full council on Monday, July 19. That would create less pressure on Banbury, less pressure on the rural areas and firm up housing growth in Bicester in line with eco status.”

Cherwell cannot say when the new local plan is likely to be published.

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