Cherwell District Council is required by the Government to allocate land to meet housing need, and has identified Bletchingdon as a sustainable location for some new homes.

The District Council is proposing the allocation of land west of Springwell Hill for new homes in Policy RUR H1 of the draft Local Plan Review 2042.  This policy states that development should:

• Provide a range of homes and densities that reflect the character and context of Bletchingdon
• Follow a contextual landscape-led approach to design and a landscape and planting strategy

The proposed allocation of land west of Springwell Hill, as shown in the draft Local Plan Review 2042

The Bletchingdon and Hampton Gay and Hampton Poyle Neighbourhood Plan is being prepared to guide development in the village and is currently in the pre-submission phase.  While the draft Neighbourhood Plan does not allocate a specific location for new homes, it does acknowledge that land east of Springwell Hill has been proposed for new homes in the District Council’s draft Local Plan Review.

We have submitted representations to the Neighbourhood Plan and also sought pre-application advice from Cherwell District Council.  As part of our preparations we had incorporated some additional land into the site boundary in the north-west corner for the provision of sustainable drainage, increasing the total site area from approximately 3.6 hectares to approximately 3.9 hectares.

Our proposed site boundary (outlined in red)

The proposals we have drawn up for this site seek to balance a landscape-led approach to development while also making efficient use of the land available to provide high-quality new homes.