The town council organised another public meeting regarding the proposed development of 160 houses in a field in South Abingdon, which got turned down by the district council, and has now gone to appeal.
All previous comments made to the district council about the plans will go forward to the planning inspector, but people can make new comments to the Planning Inspector,before 15th March. People can even ask to speak at the hearings.
The main reason the development is seen as unsustainable by a lot of locals is because of the traffic situation in South Abingdon. There was a lot of traffic on the Drayton Road after the meeting coming from South Abingdon.
Even more leaving South Abingdon via the Iron Bridge.
Residents are faced with yet another potential development which brings with it no additional infrastructure. The development would also detract from the rural environment of the area.
The developer’s appeal says it is close enough to facilities like schools and shops to make it ‘sustainable’. That houses need to be built in this area and that the district has only plans for 3.3 years of housing – not the required 5 years.
It is the final ground of appeal that is so strong. What has happened to a coherent local planning policy? Someone appears to have been asleep on the job.
Quite often on this blog there is discussion about various re-development schemes (the town centre mall, the old gaol, etc) or about “the ugliest building in Abingdon” – and many contributors ask how the planners let these things happen. Well, at least somebody in the planning department made a decision – whether we like it or not.
Meanwhile the overall policy, with its five year plan, seems to have been allowed just to drift. Elected representatives and employed officials must learn from this: doing nothing is not an option. Let’s hope that there is still time to stop the horse from bolting…
We have the opportunity to start influencing the new Local Plan when the first stage comes out for consultation later this week. See Vale website for details. We were told yesterday that it would include something about numbers and types of housing, but it will be a Vale-wide document so we will have to see what level of detail it goes into at local level.
If we think it is not clear enough about our area, the Localism Act provides routes (neighbourhood plans, supplementary planning documents etc) whereby communities can create tighter definitions, guidelines etc as to how the Plan should be put into effect in their area.
The 2009 OCC Traffic survey on the Drayton Road showed that it had over 14,600 traffic movements in a 12 hour period, that’s approx one vehicle every 3 seconds. This must surely put the road towards the top of the most congested roads list in Oxfordshire, excluding Motorways, Trunks and Oxford City.
14636 movements North of the Caldecott Roundabout
10400 south of the Preston road junction.
300 Cycle movements were recorded and about 200 HGV’s
I’m sure the cyclists per 12 hour period has doubled since that survey, but those totals are quite scary. Too many cars as it is, no doubt each house will have 2 cars, maybe even 3? I’d also imagine that there is no provision for bus routes in the submitted plan, and kids will go to school by car. Developments need to be more sustainable, and less reliant on the private car that is already choking the town.
Flats in Stert Street, more flats in Stert Street, houses on Thames View, houses in the Old Gaol, houses and flats fitted in the town everywhere but no investment in infrastructure, just a road system designed to limit traffic flow. And now possibly more houses in Drayton Road.
When we moved into the new houses off Audlett Drive the traffic used this new road and the the old t-junction at Oxford Road/Twleve Acre Drive became a r-about and the difficult Lodge hill road was straightened. Long Furlong had a new school etc. Copenhagen Drive linked up near Tescos.
I wonder what would happen today-I suspect no Audlett Drive wold be built and all traffic would be exiting onto Radley Road through Daisy Bank.
I do hope this long awaited plan addresses the infrastructure isues and not say simply we need more houses.
At this stage, with this plan going to appeal, the scales are balanced hugely in favour of the developers. The volume of traffic on the Drayton Road is our best defence. The traffic survey submitted by the developers dated 06/09/2012, has been declared null and void by town councillors at both public meetings held in the guildhall , due to the developers not applying for the relevant permission. The 2009 OCC traffic survey shows that the Drayton Road was at capacity It can only be worse now. Please use the planning inspector link at the beginning of this article to voice your opinions. Remember this development will impact mainly on south abingdon but ripples will be felt over the whole of the town if this deveolpment is allowed to proceed
Trevor and Paul are spot on. The developers are in a strong position because the Vale does not have it’s new Local Plan or an adequate housing supply in place. I was disappointed to hear that the new Local Plan won’t be fully in place until late 2014.
Once he understood my question the Planning Officer at the meeting on Saturday confirmed that he did not know of any Appeals of this nature that had been defeated.
It would be very helpful if the County Council could undertake a new traffic survey, during term time, so that we can demonstrate the scale of the traffic problems.
How about the ‘Big Community’ where residents are supposed to have a say about their local community? It is proposed to build another 55 houses by the bakery at Steventon. The extra traffic if the planning for the 160 houses is passed would be dreadful. We are trapped in South Abingdon sometimes as it is.
Neil
After the alarming comment at the meeting re. lack of developers’ appeals being rejected, had a very quick Google & within seconds arrived at:
http://www.northdevongazette.co.uk/news/planning_inspector_rejects_plans_for_182_new_homes_1_1942854
http://www.thisiscornwall.co.uk/Planning-inspector-rejects-developer-s-appeal/story-17995285-detail/story.html#axzz2Lvyof4di
I’m sure there will be others.
All is not yet lost!
Shell Suit, well said!!
Another 85 proposed in Sutton Courtenay as well.
another 60 houses also being proposed in field on corner of twelve acre drive / radley road…
where are these new residents going to materialise from and exactly how is local infrastructure to cope with the increased traffic from both ends of town and also the increased need for local school places?
another 50 or so houses proposed for Marcham and
14 flats going up now on the Marcham Road and more
places under construction on Ock Street.
I wonder what the new local plan proposes ?
On yer bike then , but mind those potholes
I don’t think enough people know about making further comments to the Planning Inspectorate. Several local people have stopped me to ask what is happening and if there is anything more we should be doing to try to put a stop to this idiotic proposed development. It seems it is only the people who went to the meeting or who look at this blog that realize this is the next (only) step. Come on people, don’t give up yet!
Today I was stopped by five people during my morning walk. All were of the opinion that Hallams had won the appeal. Would the person responsible for starting these rumours (I believe he lives in Overmead) please STOP!
We have until 15th March to forward our objections to the Planning Inspectorate. If people think a decision has already been reached, they may not bother to take this next, very important, step.
Did anyone notice a couple of weeks ago the dead Badger on the verge opposite this field?
Could this mean there’s a protected Badger sett in the area?