Wood Green flats plan rejected (From Witney Gazette)

Wood Green flats plan rejected

3:08pm Tuesday 27th February 2007 in Witney By Tim Hughes

NEIGHBOURS are celebrating victory after seeing off plans which they say would have ruined a beautiful and historic town green.

s=8Householders in Wood Green, Witney, called a decision by the planning inspector to reject plans for up to 14 new homes in the town's conservation area 'a victory for common sense'.

Developer, Empire Homes, had wanted to build a combination of flats and mews cottages in two blocks on the site of Chichester House, in Wood Green.

Two successive proposals to demolish the house and build 14 or 13 homes, respectively, had been rejected by West Oxfordshire District Council, but were passed to the Planning Inspectorate, following an appeal against the decision by Empire Homes, which owns the site.

However, to the delight of local campaigners, inspector Robert Yuille dismissed both applications, citing the effects the proposed buildings would have on 'the character and appearance of the conservation area and the setting of listed buildings'.

His report read: "Wood Green is an extremely attractive area.

"It was described by local residents as being a traditional village green, set within a town. I regard this as an apt description. The combination of the fairly subtle changes in vistas, that would result from the appeal schemes, would be sufficient to significantly erode that sense of a village green."

More than 100 letters are believed to have been sent to the council objecting to the plans - which had twice been recommended for approval by council planners.

Jonathon Smith, from Woodstock Road, co-ordinated the campaign. He said: "We are a close community, and have all done our best to overturn this proposal. We had a celebration the other day, and are very pleased.

"The Witney conservation area is one of the nicest in Oxfordshire. We want to preserve that beauty, and not ruin it.

"I wouldn't have minded nice-looking houses, but the scale of the development was all wrong."

And he said the inspector's decision sent a strong message to all developers: "Before putting forward plans in a conservation area, they should look into the history and aesthetics of the area, and not rely on council planners - who were backing the developer all the way. It's a victory for common sense, and a victory for local people, who want to keep Wood Green special."

William Beacham, from nearby Woodlands Road, said: "A lot of people were bothered by the plans. The developers wanted to pack as much into the area as possible to maximise profits.

"Chichester House is not a special property, but it is in a special place. If they wanted to knock it down and put up two or three properties of Cotswold stone, I wouldn't see anything wrong. But it was an unreasonable development. Interestingly, the planning department thought it was all right."

The leader of West Oxfordshire District Council, Barry Norton, who is a member of the council's lowlands area planning sub-committee, said: "I voted against this.

"I predicted it would be turned down, as I saw it as an overdevelopment of the site and detracted from the setting of Wood Green. I am extremely pleased with the decision of the planning inspector."

Witney town councillor Roger Curry also welcomed the decision. He said: "The inspector took on board all the comments we have been making, and, like us, he considered it to be an important site, whose character should be preserved. The question now is what's going to happen next. We have to be vigilant."

The appellant at Empire Homes declined to comment on the decision or on future plans for the site.