Land west of Springwell Hill, Bletchingdon

Approximately one-third of the site will be provided as publicly accessible open space.  The main area of open space will be provided along the route of the retained Public Right of Way, with additional open space along the western boundary and smaller areas across the rest of the site.

 

A plan showing the proposed location of public open space across the site (shaded in green)

 

The Public Right of Way passes through the site in a north-west / south-east direction and will be retained as a ‘green corridor’ alongside open grassland and new tree planting.  Within this open space, a two-metre-wide hoggin path will be provided incorporating ‘Play on the Way’ features for children.

 

A ditch forms the western boundary of the site, along which a hedgerow has formed as well as some individual trees.  This habitat will be retained and an area of semi-natural open space introduced all along the western boundary.  Within this space, in the north-western corner of the site, a landscaped attenuation basin will be created to collect and hold surface water run-off during heavy rainfall.  Though the basin is designed to be predominantly dry except in heavy rainfall, a part of the basin will be kept permanently wet as an ecological feature.

 

Just beyond the eastern boundary lies an area of woodland adjacent to Springwell Hill, and a small landscaped area is proposed along this boundary to buffer the woodland from the development and preserve a suitable dark corridor for wildlife.  New tree and scrub planting is also proposed along the southern boundary, creating a landscape buffer to maintain privacy for adjacent properties on Duchy Fields.

 

The incorporation of these various areas of open space across the site will introduce landscape character, support wildlife, and contribute towards achieving a minimum 10% biodiversity net gain as part of the proposals.

 

A computer-generated image showing the retained Public Right of Way as a ‘green corridor’ through the development