Controversial proposals for 350 homes and a primary school on agricultural land in Ducklington are being floated by a property developer.

David Wilson Homes requested a ‘screening opinion’ from West Oxfordshire District Council for a development which includes 6,500 square metres of commercial floorspace on land north-east of Ducklington Farm.

Vehicle access would be from Curbridge Lane to the southeast and the A415 to the east.

Correspondence from Chris Hargraves, Planning Policy Manager, said: "The development is likely to have significant effects on the environment, particularly in respect of potential cumulative impacts including the size and design of the whole development."

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He said it requires submission of an Environmental Statement and, as well as the potential impacts on human health due to the proximity of the Witney Sewage Treatment Works and Mutchmeats abattoir, it was also needed because of the cumulative effects from other developments and the future potential development of the wider area of land.

Separate pre-application discussions have been in relation to a larger scheme of 520 homes, he said.

David Wilson Homes said its proposals were at an early stage but "the screening application was for a development of 350 homes”.

Mr Hargraves said up to 1,800 homes are being actively promoted through the Oxfordshire Plan 2050, which is currently in preparation, and the proposed development could not be considered in isolation.

Ducklington councillor Ben Woodruff said: "I was contacted by a representative from David Wilson Homes this week and have declined to meet with them at this stage" but he said "it would be controversial if they were to put in a planning application, and they did acknowledge this”.

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Outline planning permission is also being sought for up to 120 homes, at land east of Witney Road in Ducklington.

Some 110 objections on the West Oxfordshire District Council (WODC) planning portal say if the houses are built on Moors Field, there will no longer be a suitable pedestrian route into Witney.

Concerns about increased traffic and potential flooding have also been raised.

One objection comment, by Emma Morse, says Moors Field is the ‘one remaining oasis in a stretch of residential properties’.

Despite the objections, a planning statement prepared on behalf of Ainscough Strategic Land, reads: “The site is relatively unconstrained, and is in a sustainable location with services and facilities in both Ducklington and Witney within walking and cycling distance.”

West Oxfordshire District Council’s cabinet member for Housing and Communities Merilyn Davies said developers were ‘circling like vultures’ across West Oxfordshire.

She said: "This scoping exercise [David Wilson Homes] is happening because developers across the district are of the misguided assumption our Local Plan is going to fail. This means they would be able to return to unchecked speculative development and so are circling like vultures for sites they could exploit.

“But they are wrong. Our Local Plan has a five-point six-year land supply which exceeds what is required of it. The Local Plan puts houses where local people need them, not where developers want to put them in order to maximise profit.

“Developers like this, as well as Pye Homes, who have submitted a similar scoping exercise in Long Hanborough, are welcome to waste their money on a futile attempt to ignore the needs and wants of residents if they so wish.

“I expect more such applications to follow, but while we have a robust Local Plan - which we do - they will fail."

A spokesperson for David Wilson Homes Southern said: “We have put forward land south of Witney to the Oxfordshire Plan 2050 as a potential location for growth outside the Green Belt and are exploring opportunities for its development.

“As part of our initial communication with West Oxfordshire District Council in relation to the land, we have submitted a request for a screening opinion as part of the Environmental Impact Assessment for potential development.

“We will fully evaluate the response from the local authority and will take any revisions into consideration to support the assessment for the site.”