Autumn 2016 Oxfordshire www.cpreoxon.org.uk voice

Oxford Green Belt CPRE campaign successes Brexit and the Campaign launched to save the Saving our landscapes and our British farmer Green Belt & protect historic Oxford green fields A local view OXFORDSHIRE Chairman’s voice

Voice I may be fooling The high SHMA figures have a baleful Autumn 2016 myself, but influence elsewhere. If District Councils I believe our do not build the figures into their local Features protestations plans, they will not be declared sound, 2 Chairman’s voice that the and if they do not have an agreed local Strategic plan they will be open to speculative 4 Oxfordshire Local Plan Housing Market development proposals which can be round-up Assessment approved on appeal. 5 CPRE Density Guidelines (SHMA) figures are far too high may be getting through to some people. While Neighbourhood Plans have to be based 6 Save the Green Belt campaign District Councils are still accepting the on an acceptance of the local plan 8 Need not Greed – fighting back figures as the basis for their planning figures, ie the SHMA figures, which 10 Brexit and its impact on local proposals, there does appear to be a rather undermines their claim to be farmers growing feeling that the figures are too encouraging localism. high. 11 CPRE campaign successes Oxfordshire CPRE has appealed for 12 CPRE members’ events Oxfordshire is expected to build extra funds to continue to maintain 100,000 houses by 2031 from a the current level of activity opposing DIRECTORY previous target of 54,700. The original these developments. Details of how Views expressed in the Voice are not necessarily core strategy target for Oxford City to contribute can be found on page 8 those of CPRE Oxfordshire, which welcomes was 8,000 houses by 2026, the target in this newsletter or on our website. independent comment. now is 28,000 houses by 2031. There Please help if you can. Editor: Helena Whall is apparently nowhere to build all Cover: Ridgeway, North Wessex Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. these houses in the City which means I am now in my fifth year as chairman Photo: Helena Whall that 15,000 are expected to be built of CPRE Oxfordshire and will stand Articles, letters, comments and suggestions for in surrounding districts. To rub it in down at the AGM next year. We are articles are welcome. Please contact the Branch Wycombe now claims it has nowhere looking, both externally and internally, Office below. Published November 2016 to build 5,000 of its target and is for candidates to put themselves District Chairmen reportedly asking South Oxfordshire to forward for consideration. It is a very CPRE Oxfordshire Branch help. rewarding role, working with dedicated Brian Wood 01869 337904 staff to help to preserve the Oxfordshire [email protected] These ridiculous figures include countryside (see below). Cherwell North: Chris Hone 01295 265379 homes to provide for 85,000 extra Cherwell South: John Broad (acting chair) jobs, forecast by the Oxfordshire 01869 324008 [email protected] Local Enterprise Partnership and Oxford: Rosemary Harris incorporated in the targets without any Brian Wood [email protected] consultation. Chairman, CPRE Oxfordshire South Oxfordshire: Professor Richard Harding 01491 836425 [email protected] Vale of White Horse: Dr. Peter Collins St Edmund Hall, Oxford OX1 4AR West Oxfordshire: Justine Garbutt CPRE Oxfordshire seeks new Chair (acting Chair) 01993 837681 Interested in environmental issues? Care about your countryside? [email protected] Want to make a difference? Branch Office As chair of CPRE Oxfordshire (voluntary role) you will provide vision and CPRE Oxfordshire, First Floor, 20 High Street, Watlington, Oxfordshire OX49 5PY leadership to ensure a strong and effective voice for the future of the (Registered office) countryside. This is an excellent opportunity to apply your senior level T: 01491 612079 skills and experience. With your help we can do even more to protect the E: [email protected] countryside and increase our influence on key decisions affecting land use in www.cpreoxon.org.uk the county.

Follow us on Twitter @CPREOxfordshire For a full role description and further background information please contact:

and like us on E: [email protected] T: 01491 612079 www.facebook.com/CPREOxfordshire Applications via CV and covering letter please. CPRE Oxfordshire is registered in England as Deadline: 30 November 2016 Charity No.1093081 and Company No. 4443278.

2 CPRE Oxfordshire voice Autumn 2016 Andrew Carter Warneford Meadow campaigners celebrating Town Green status.

A big thank you to Sietske Boeles

Dr. Sietske Boeles has decided to We are very pleased to have Rosemary local countryside and environmental stand down as Chair of Oxford City and John on board and we look forward campaign group the Sunningwell district after several years of fierce to working with them both. We are Parishioners Against Damage to the campaigning on issues such as green confident that they will do an excellent Environment (SPADE) – a member spaces, the Oxford Green Belt and air job in representing CPRE’s interests of the Need not Greed Oxfordshire pollution, but we are delighted that within the City. coalition. Sietske will remain on the committee so that we can continue to call on her …and Colin Thomas expertise and experience. We are delighted to welcome Colin Going forward, CPRE Henley Thomas to the Board of Trustees. and Mapledurham, Thame & Sietske is an awesome campaigner Colin grew up on a family farm in Bullingdon and Wallingford and has worked phenomenally hard the Cherwell Valley and now lives districts are to be known as ‘CPRE for CPRE over the last few years. in the village of Sunningwell in the South Oxfordshire’ district. Before becoming Chair of the City Vale. He was a founding member of district she spearheaded the hugely successful Warneford Meadow Town Green Campaign – which the branch supported. And during her time as Arnold Grayson (1929 – 2016) Chair she has been at the forefront of It is with great sadness that we pass the Northern Gateway and the Save on the news that Arnold Grayson Port Meadow campaign – another big passed away in early October. success story for the branch. She has Arnold chaired our Wallingford now turned her attention to the Save district committee from 2002 until 2014 and had continued as the Oxford Green Belt and Protect our Minerals advisor, leading on Historic Oxford branch campaign. CPRE Oxfordshire’s representations to the recent Minerals Local Plan Welcome to Rosemary Harris Examination in Public. and John Hills CPRE is pleased to welcome Rosemary Arnold’s immense knowledge of Harris as the new Chair of Oxford City countryside issues – he was formerly district. Rosemary has been on the Director at the Forestry Commission committee for a number of years and was an eminent local historian after first becoming involved with – and his enthusiasm for defending CPRE during the Save Oxpens Meadow the countryside around his home campaign, which she championed. town of Wallingford were of huge value to the branch. He brought intellect, tenacity and energy to all Rosemary will be ably assisted by John his work on behalf of CPRE and he Hill, who has been Secretary to the will be much missed. Committee for some two years now - a Arnold Grayson receiving a belated welcome to John too! John will Our thoughts are with his family and commemorative bowl on stepping be attending BEC meetings on Oxford friends. down as CPRE Wallingford Chairman. City district’s behalf.

Join the debate. Join the campaign. Join CPRE 3 Oxfordshire Local Plan round-up

Oxford City potential impact on the Green Belt and You can see CPRE’s response at: AONB, and the lack of information on http://bit.ly/2dtppyG Consultation on Oxford City Council’s supporting infrastructure, especially in ‘First Steps’ towards producing a new relation to traffic and transport. Local Plan (2016 – 2036) for the City West Oxfordshire closed in August. The Council wanted CPRE is deeply concerned at West The response from CPRE South the public’s initial views on issues such Oxfordshire’s recent decision to comply Oxfordshire district argues that the as housing, jobs and green space. In with the SHMA figures and revise its overall housing numbers are flawed. CPRE’s response to the consultation, housing targets upwards in its Local It also argues for higher density we focused on the need for protection Plan. We fully supported WODC’s development which would reduce of the Green Belt and called for higher stand against the SHMA figures on the the overall land take required and density development to save land. We grounds that they were over-inflated, encourage less costly housing. Taken also responded to the consultation on and do not believe this is in the best together, this would completely the Osney Mead Masterplan, arguing interests of the district. remove the need for a new settlement. that the area should be prioritised for housing over employment. Cherwell You can see CPRE’s response at: Part One of Cherwell’s Local Plan http://bit.ly/2bn7oQs You can see CPRE’s response at: was adopted in July 2015, but Part http://bit.ly/2dbh1ma Vale of White Horse Two is not due until 2019. However, Cherwell have now commenced a Following the hearings into the South Oxfordshire Partial Review of Part One of its Local District Council’s Local Plan 2031 (Part Plan. The Council intends to publish This summer South Oxfordshire held a One), the Inspector suggested some a draft Partial Review Development consultation on its Preferred Options modifications in order for the Plan to Plan Document in November 2016, for development through to 2032, be found sound. We were delighted which will fully consider how to meet which included: that the Inspector ruled out a 1,400 its agreed proportion of Oxford’s unmet 1. A new settlement of 3,500 houses home development in the North need (some 4,400 houses). at the Chalgrove airfield site. Wessex Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and agreed that 15 2. The development of partly sites the Vale wished to release from Oxford’s unmet housing brownfield Green Belt sites at the Green Belt should remain. However, need Culham and Wheatley. we were dismayed that he allowed In September, the Oxfordshire Growth 3. 1,000 additional houses shared 1,510 homes to be built in the Green Board announced numbers and locations for the allocation of Oxford’s between Wallingford and Thame. Belt at north Abingdon, north-west unmet housing need. A total of Abingdon, Kennington and north-west 4. 2,500 additional houses in the 14,850 houses are to spread around larger villages (increasing their size Radley. the county, beyond those already in by another 10%). the individual District Local Plans. The This undermines the key concept of proposed apportionment is as follows: 5. 785 additional houses in the small the permanence of the Green Belt and Cherwell – 4,400 villages (increasing their size by sets a really worrying precedent for Oxford – 550 another 5%). further attacks. We do not accept that South Oxon – 4,950 The most controversial element has the alleged need to provide housing Vale – 2,200 been the proposed 3,500 house new around Abingdon and Oxford City is West Oxon – 2,750 settlement at Chalgrove. Whilst we sufficient to justify building on the Although the Growth Board says welcome the stated protection of Green Belt. final decisions about where the houses should go will be left to the Green Belt in terms of the new Local Plans, CPRE is concerned that settlement, this does not mean that The Council has since published its District Councils will have no room unsustainable locations elsewhere Main Modifications, which were the for manoeuvre and will be forced to are appropriate. If no sustainable subject of a consultation that ended in accept the Board’s preferred locations. location can be found, we believe the September. In CPRE’s response to the overall numbers should be reduced consultation we continued to push for See CPRE’s Press Release ‘The Great Oxfordshire Stitch-up’ at: accordingly. Certainly the site at removal of the Green Belt allocations, http://bit.ly/2dfhCVw Chalgrove remains highly questionable whilst also challenging the adequacy in terms of its rural location, the of the Monitoring Report.

4 CPRE Oxfordshire voice Autumn 2016 Don’t Be Dense about Density But this still falls woefully short not only of pre-National Planning Policy John Broad Framework Government Policy of 35- 55 per hectare, but of the historical densities of 75 per hectare in (now highly desirable) Victorian Terraces, over the whole of Kensington and Chelsea, and for that matter in many of our villages. The Growth Board’s density targets are wholly inadequate either to minimise land use or provide the lower cost housing people actually need, Mallards Way, Bicester (35 houses per ha). even though they themselves recognise that even a modest increase in build Although CPRE rightly disagrees with houses on every acre of land. density could deliver thousands more the scale of the Growth Board’s inflated houses on the same amount of land. forecasts of housing need (see page To do that yields the massive additional 4), there can be no doubt that we are benefit that it provides less expensive Raising density targets to historical going to need a lot more houses to housing, the very kind that is most levels would not only save vast swathes accommodate natural population needed, since a large percentage of the of countryside from development, growth and even the immigration that cost of a house arises from the cost of but enable many more of the houses has already occurred. the land it stands on. Oxford needs to be built in the City itself. That, and provide far less Obviously though, whilst demand may Since we started campaigning on this expensive houses too. increase, land supply is finite. As Mark issue earlier this year, it is encouraging Twain said “God ain’t making any more that the subject has at least found a It is time for Councils to stop being of it”. paragraph or two in the Oxfordshire dense about densities. Growth Board’s Spatial Strategy, which The only way to accommodate the is proposing a range of densities for Find out more about CPRE’s Density need for houses whilst losing as little various types of site from 25 per Guidelines at: http://bit.ly/2dkYsMd as possible of the countryside is to hectare in new settlements to 60 in increase density – that is to build more built up areas near transport links. Michael Tyce, CPRE Trustee Will you help protect the Oxfordshire countryside for future generations? If you have made or are considering making a Will, could we For further information, please see ask you to think about a gift for the countryside? If you are our new Legacies Leaflet or contact a CPRE member, you should have received a copy of our new Legacies Leaflet with this newsletter. us on Tel: 01491 612079 or Email: [email protected] Our vision is of a future Oxfordshire that continues to host thriving rural communities, surrounded by a wonderful landscape that benefits both people and wildlife.

We don’t know what challenges we will face, but it seems certain that as our population expands and the need for housing and infrastructure grows, we will need to work harder than ever to make sure development is guided appropriately and that the countryside is cared for and valued.

By leaving a legacy to CPRE Oxfordshire, you can help ensure that our precious landscapes are protected for generations to CPRE Oxfordshire volunteers helping out at a district event. come.

Join the debate. Join the campaign. Join CPRE 5 A number of wealthy landowners, including The Oxford Green Belt is Magdalen College, are trying to build huge urban under threat as never before extensions out over the Oxford Green Belt. succeeds others will be prevented, Why the Green Belt matters leading to a house of cards dismantling The Oxford Green Belt protects The most immediate threat is to the of the Oxford Green Belt. surrounding villages and countryside south of the City at Grenoble Road, from urban sprawl. But it also gives City where a planning application for 3,500 This is happening everywhere. dwellers access to open countryside houses is expected soon, with a further Despite apparent cross-party and protects the historic setting of 3,500 also on the cards. If successful, support for the Green Belt there Oxford. The City’s medieval layout, this could quickly lead to moves for is growing pressure across the network of views and floodplains and further extensions to the north of the country to use it for housing – over historic buildings make it entirely City, obliterating the ‘Kidlington gap’, 200,000 homes are proposed to be unsuitable for expansion on this scale. and elsewhere around the Green Belt built on Green Belt across England Such development is likely to harm including Abingdon and Wicks Farm. in various local plans. ‘Green Belt the City’s economy, which depends on under siege’ CPRE, 2015. tourism and being an attractive place It is hard to see how if one attack to live and work. Just imagine another 15,000 more people trying to get down The Oxford Green Belt the Cowley Road to work every day! Three quarters of Oxfordshire Langford Proposed urban extension residents believe that, however Lane (3,500 houses)north of Oxford great the need for housing, the Oxford Green Belt should remain Kidlington TH intact. In fact housing is seen as E O the greatest threat it faces (CPRE XF Oxfordshire Survey, March 2015) OR D Eynsham G The alternatives – a bigger R E city doesn’t necessarily E mean a better city OXFORD CITY N We should be prioritising brownfield B Cowley E sites in the City such as Osney Mead, L look at higher density developments Cumnor T and consider more creative solutions to affordable housing. Most importantly, Sandford we need to think about how much growth Oxford and Oxfordshire can Lodge Hill accommodate sustainably and whether development should actually be targeted elsewhere in the country, where Abingdon housing is cheaper and jobs are scarce.

What can you do? Grenoble Road – planning Don’t let a few wealthy landowners application for 3,500 houses like Magdalen College take over the imminent Green Belt at the expense of local people, the countryside and the future More than 14,000 houses promoted for Green Belt prosperity of Oxford. Please help us The Oxfordshire Growth Board’s spatial assessment for meeting Oxford’s unmet protect it for generations to come. need, published in late September, rated a number of sites as ‘green’, ie, suitable for Join our campaign to Save the development – many of these were in the Green Belt. By our rough estimates, this Oxford Green Belt & Protect brings the total number of houses being promoted at various sites around the Green Historic Oxford Find out more and sign up to our Belt to more than 14,000. This is based on all those sites rated ‘green’ (11,550), plus campaign newsletter at an extra 1,300 or so for Grenoble Road (the Growth Board only says 2,200 although www.cpreoxon.org.uk we know the City will go for 3,500), plus the 1,500 recently proposed at Elsfield by Donate via JustGiving at: Christ Church College. http://bit.ly/2etOzxA

6 CPRE Oxfordshire voice Autumn 2016 Oxford Green Belt – Q&A

Q. What is the purpose of the do so. Whilst there is a need for more Q. What harm would it do if Oxford Green Belt? affordable housing, we will have to look Oxford expanded? A. Green Belts were created as planning at alternative solutions to meeting this A. Apart from the loss of the Green Belt, tools to keep a band of land around requirement. One obvious answer is to Oxford is unsuitable to be the heart of cities open, primarily to: prevent further build smaller houses at higher densities, a larger conurbation. The street pattern expansion of cities and to stop them which would not only be much more dictated by the historic buildings, the sprawling out over open countryside affordable, but take up far less land too. medieval road layout and the rivers and engulfing neighbouring villages and floodplain makes it barely possible and towns; prevent settlements merging Q. Surely just building on a for the City to support its present size. together; protect the historic setting small proportion of the Green Furthermore, Oxford’s economy is of towns and cities, like Oxford and Belt would leave us with more crucially dependent on the City and the Abingdon; provide open countryside on than enough? surrounding areas remaining attractive city dwellers’ doorsteps; and encourage A. Releasing just a small percentage places to live, and the Green Belt plays a the re-use of brownfield sites, especially of Green Belt sounds an attractive way key role in preserving this. within cities like Oxford. of releasing land for housing. But once Q. Isn’t it essential to build in bits of the Green Belt are removed, the Q. Why is CPRE so committed the Green Belt to meet Oxford’s integrity is reduced and so its benefits to the Green Belt? housing need? begin to be lost. Permanence is also A. We were instrumental in the an important feature of Green Belts so formulation of the concept of ‘Green A. No, because the housing needs of people, businesses and the Government Belts’ as long ago as the 1930s, and people actually living in Oxford are being have the confidence to invest in the in the creation of the Oxford Green more than met with the 8,000 houses area on that basis. Conversely, the Belt in 1958, so we naturally have a being built in the City. The rest of the temptation is removed for people to buy great deal of pride. However we would forecast “housing need” is for newcomers Green Belt land in the hope that it will be not support it if it was not as relevant who would take new jobs forecast to be de-designated and its notional value for today as it was then. In fact it is even created in the City over the next sixteen development will increase. more relevant. The more crowded our years. Instead the City should use any island becomes, the more important land it has available for housing, and Q. If I live in an Oxfordshire it is to preserve our open green spaces if necessary the new jobs and houses village outside the Green Belt, and keep settlements separate, and should be created elsewhere, outside the why should I care if Oxford to protect the historic setting of our Green Belt. City expands? historic towns and City. Q. Is this in line with Loss of the Oxford Green Belt would Government Policy? ultimately have a detrimental effect Q. Surely we must build A. Yes. Councils are exempt from across all our rural communities, as well the houses forecast in the meeting local housing need if as the City itself. If Oxford is allowed to Strategic Housing Market constraints like Green Belt make it expand exponentially it will become an Assessment (SHMA) and this impossible. The Government stated to ever greater ‘black hole’ at the centre of will force us to use Green Belt Parliament in December 2014 that ‘the the County sucking in more and more land? National Planning Policy Framework people, with associated infrastructure A. The Strategic Housing Market should be read as a whole: need alone problems. If this were allowed to happen, Assessment (SHMA) is based around is not the only factor to be considered the demand for housing in the villages a forecast creation of 85,000 jobs, to when drawing up a Local Plan’. could actually increase, not decrease. be filled by workers from outside the County who will require housing. It Q. Isn’t a massive increase in Q. Surely there is no harm in requires 100,000 houses – two Oxfords, housebuilding needed to bring building on the unattractive to be built in the next fifteen years. It house prices down? bits? would be catastrophic for our County’s A. No, since no conceivable level of new A. The Oxford Green Belt is intended to rural character if this occurred. The housebuilding would bring down prices, contain Oxford and prettiness is not an SHMA makes it clear that if there is no or even the increase in prices to the rate issue. Lack of attractiveness does not option but using Green Belt land then to of inflation. This is because in any year justify removing land from the Green that extent the housing forecast can be only 1% of the houses for sale are new Belt. If it did unscrupulous landowners cut back, or the new jobs relocated. build. Existing houses set the prices, and would immediately set about making it developers are not likely to sell houses unattractive to reap financial gain from Find out more about the Oxford cheaper, unless heavily subsidised to development. Green Belt: http://bit.ly/2e688h0

Join the debate. Join the campaign. Join CPRE 7 Need not Greed coalition CPRE challenges juggernaut Oxfordshire of forced economic Positive growth in Oxfordshire Planning

The Need not Greed Oxfordshire were not up for debate! However, Seminar coalition, launched earlier this year, this didn’t stop the coalition from Wednesday 23 November has been challenging the county’s persuading many members of the St Edmund Hall, Oxford ‘forced economic growth strategy’ public to respond to the consultation 2pm – 5.15pm, followed by a which lies behind so much of the calling for a re-think on the over- inappropriate and speculative inflated growth targets. The majority short drinks reception. development from which we are of responses to the consultation All welcome! currently suffering. supported the coalition’s arguments. The Seminar will address issues Nearly 30 local organisations, Now the SEP Refresh is being including affordable housing, including CPRE Oxfordshire (which considered by our local authorities. But Oxfordshire’s green infrastructure, is providing the Secretariat), have the views of local councillors have been neighbourhood planning and the now joined forces to question this stymied, since many have not been future of rural Oxfordshire. undemocratic and aggressive growth given the opportunity to debate this Speakers will include Jo Lavis, Rural strategy, and to set out an alternative critical issue at Full Council meetings. vision which focuses on meeting Instead, in many Districts the SEP Housing Enabler, Dr Ingo Schuder, local people’s real needs, including Refresh is only being considered Consultant on Green Infrastructure protection of the environment and by the Executive. It has only been and Shaun Spiers, Chief Executive, affordable housing. considered by Councils at all because National CPRE. of the campaigning work by NNGO and A panel session including one Having a say on the future CPRE. of Oxfordshire or more of our local authority representatives will look at how In the last issue of the Voice we What next? we can apply lessons learnt to called on you to respond to a public The Oxfordshire SEP 2016 is due to be consultation on the SEP ‘Refresh’ – the signed off later this year, and while Oxfordshire. Strategic Economic Plan which outlines the growth targets are likely to remain Please register at: the economic strategy for Oxfordshire the same, we will continue to lobby http://bit.ly/2eehjK0 over the next fifteen years, conducted our Councillors, Leaders, MPs and local by the Oxfordshire LEP (the unelected policy-makers to: Local Enterprise Partnership), which is driving economic growth in the county. • review the jobs and housing figures in the light of the implications of Thank you! This is the plan which proposes the Brexit, Many thanks to all those who imposition of a dreamt up 85,000 new • consider the cumulative social and have contributed so generously to jobs for the county, irrespective of local environmental impacts of this all- our autumn fundraising appeal. employment needs (we have almost out growth strategy, and At the time of going to print, we full employment in the county). As have raised over £10,000, putting a result of the jobs projection, over • reconsider priorities for action – i.e. us halfway to our campaign fund 100,000 houses will need to be built to how to provide affordable housing target of £20,000. We are of course home these notional employees and for existing local residents, rather still accepting donations! These can than seeking to attract ever more their families – a housebuilding target be made online via www.justgiving. people into the area making the more than double any rate previously com/CPREOxon or by sending a achieved (the equivalent of two new jobs versus housing balance worse. cheque, made payable to CPRE Oxfords), leading to a projected 30% Oxfordshire, to CPRE, 20 High Street, increase in population by 2031. Please will you help support Watlington OX49 5PY. this vital campaign? While the public were finally given Rural Oxfordshire is a wonderful Visit the Need not Greed website: a chance to have their say on some place – with your help, we will fight www.neednotgreedoxon.org.uk aspects of the SEP ‘Refresh’ during the to keep it that way! summer, the overall growth targets

8 CPRE Oxfordshire voice Autumn 2016 Ongoing Mind the Green Gap threats to our rural communities

Many rural communities around the county are being threatened with inappropriate development on green field sites because of the lack of a Five Year Housing Supply (5YHS). The green gap between Didcot and East Hagbourne.

The Government’s National Planning to fall short of meeting their 5YHS planning committee to unanimously Policy Framework (NPPF) requires going forward. This means we could turn down a speculative housing district councils to identify sites to be seeing speculative development application for 170 homes that would meet housing demand for the next five proposals popping up all over the have endangered the narrow green gap years. The 5YHS is built into a Council’s county over the months and years between Didcot and East Hagbourne. Local Plan and Local Authorities are ahead. Disappointingly, the developer, duty bound to meet these targets. If Grainger PLC is appealing against the they don’t, then a vacuum is created West Oxfordshire decision. The Appeal is expected to be which is filled by speculative (rather In Milton-under-Wychwood heard in the spring of next year. than Plan-led) development. In the campaigners have fought hard against absence of an up to date Local Plan, a planning application for 62 houses South Oxfordshire speculative development proposals on farmland at the western edge of the A High Court judge recently overruled can be (and usually are) approved on village, lying within the Cotswolds Area South Oxfordshire District Council appeal. of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The and the wishes of local residents to application was originally refused approve two housing developments, for There has been a spate of approvals on by West Oxfordshire District Council. 120 and 80 houses, in Chinnor. SODC appeal over the past few months in the However the developer, Sharba Homes, originally rejected the applications Vale of White Horse, South Oxfordshire appealed and won planning permission on numerous grounds, including and West Oxfordshire due to out of in July on the grounds that the Council encroachment into open countryside, date Local Plans (see examples below). could not demonstrate a five-year but the judge backed the Inspector’s supply of deliverable sites. findings that there was a local housing Because of the extremely high housing ‘policy vacuum’. targets in the Oxfordshire Strategic Vale of White Horse Join CPRE to help us protect our Housing Market Assessment (SHMA) In East Hagbourne, the ‘Mind the rural communities: – more than 100,000 homes by 2031, Green Gap’ campaigners persuaded http://bit.ly/1GUfr3Q we believe all Councils are likely South Oxfordshire District Council’s

A way to walk four ways A fantastic updated guide, written by companion to anyone walking all of, or in local author Nick Moon, to the 52 mile stages, the 52 miles which pass through d’Arcy Dalton Way, running from north of almost wholly unspoilt countryside. As a Banbury to south of Abingdon. bonus, there are also descriptions of eight circular walks off the route. The d’Arcy Dalton Way named after Col. W.P. d’Arcy Dalton, a notable defender of The book has been sponsored by CPRE Oxfordshire’s rights of way and the first Oxfordshire, with support from the Oxford chairman of CPRE’s Rights of Way Group, Fieldpaths Society. is a long distance path following the western boundary of Oxfordshire. Available direct from CPRE Oxfordshire, price £9.99. This newly revised edition of Nick Moon’s guide to the route is an essential Find out more at: http://bit.ly/2cykHNR

Join the debate. Join the campaign. Join CPRE 9 Oxford Cambridge Expressway One of the biggest threats to stimulated as people can travel further up yet more development pressures. rural Oxfordshire for decades in a given time and goods could be has emerged in the form of a transported more reliably. This is one In our response to a National government sponsored study of of six major strategic road projects Infrastructure Consultation on the an ‘Expressway’, a mini motorway covering the North of England and the merits of the Cambridge – Oxford connecting the two University cities outer London region. ‘growth corridor’, CPRE argued that designed to improve the transport the study area is not a recognisable network. The scale of possible development economic corridor and as such that could be accommodated along corridor-focused planning is not The proposed Expressway would the Oxford – Cambridge ‘corridor’ is warranted. Instead, we support the connect Oxford with Cambridge, via only now starting to emerge. The Local early completion of the East/West Milton Keynes and would extend to Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs) see the Railway and the upgrading of superfast the A34 as far as the M4, making use possibility of major development along broadband and the early rollout of of existing roads where possible and the route and 1 million new homes. 5G technologies, thereby removing filling the missing links, such as those This could be in the form of a dozen the alleged need for a new off route between the M1 at Milton Keynes and new towns. ‘Expressway’ standard road network. the M40 near Oxford. The Expressway study, worth £512.000, is due to be At the same time, a new eastern Contact CPRE Oxfordshire for a copy of completed in the autumn of this year. bypass of Oxford is being suggested our consultation response. across the Green Belt linking the A34 Through better connectivity it is north of Abingdon to the M40 in the Jim Fletcher said that economic growth will be Wheatley area. Such a road could open CPRE Transport advisor

were inspections, food hygiene and low Brexit and its impact on prices. The big box processor and ‘truck it for miles’ approach fitted perfectly the British farmer with the supermarket model. It has been suggested that this sterilisation As I write this, we have begun subsequently on an acreage basis, of food is likely to be part of the planting autumn sown crops and have over huge areas, has not worked in reason people’s immunity levels have harvested some forage maize. The the farmers’ favour in the long term. shrunk and the NHS doles out so many cereal harvest is now a distant memory It has removed mixed farming and antibiotics. with yields having been more variable encouraged monoculture type arable to those we have been accustomed. farming where the subsidy runs Change will happen I am sure, but we The season has clearly shown how through the farmers’ fingers and need to remember not to be confused problems in certain fields, for example lodges in the grasp of the supply chain, by all that we see. Farms are generally blackgrass infestation, and the weather (to him and from him), as everyone getting bigger; machinery technology affect results. That said we have likes a piece of the cake. plays a huge part in this – in common enjoyed a very good run of weather with many other sectors, as do throughout most of the harvest period The post-Brexit era is potentially huge advances in knowledge. New and have not had a stop/start nature to a hugely exciting prospect for techniques need to be disseminated proceedings as in recent years. agriculture in this country; if we can in a practical and honest way that get some honesty into the debate engages with farmers who will be There is much to concern the British and leave the single issue bias out, we challenged to find individual solutions farmer at present as most sectors are could move towards a more balanced that work for them, whilst still struggling to emerge from a period and diverse agriculture. However, providing for the nation’s food security. of low prices, brought about as much this is likely to be hampered since so by political decisions as supply and much of the infrastructure to support See CPRE’s New Model Farming – demand. In thinking how Brexit may this has disappeared – think of the Resilience through diversity, August impact us we might reflect on how local dairies, bakers and abattoirs 2016: http://bit.ly/2bt9j83 we fared in the European Union (EU). that were closed because they were The simplistic approach of subsidising inconvenient, messy and noisy. Under Angus Dart production initially per tonne and the tenure of the EU all that mattered CPRE Farming advisor

10 CPRE Oxfordshire voice Autumn 2016 Helena Whall Jo Schofield 11 Saving our precious green green our precious Saving fields delighted was CPRE autumn, Last West by decision a of learn to District Council and Oxfordshire a refuse to Council District Cherwell Homes Pye from application planning the on development house 1,500 a for Blenheim Estate in Woodstock. local a – Group Action Woodstock set up to fight the campaign group fending in instrumental was proposal, pleased off this application. CPRE was support and advice to be able to offer to campaigners. Homes Pye year this earlier However, residents sent out a leaflet to all 280 build to proposal a concerning land on site, smaller a on homes are Residents town. the of East South 280-homes the of submission awaiting which application planning re-branded is expected any day now. Save the Vale Green Belt Walk, Spring 2016. 2016. Spring Walk, Belt Green Vale the Save

from around the Vale, we persuaded the Vale, around from Plan Local Vale’s the of Inspector the the within sites 15 delete to One Part were Council the which Belt Green were sites These release. to proposing but development for identified not of part as considered been have may Two. Plan Part Local the Vale preparing now that these sites are hopeful are We development. from safe accepted Inspector the though, Sadly the for the 20,560 housing target houses 1,510 that agreed and Vale, Belt sites should go Green four across West North and North (including ahead and Radley). Abingdon, Kennington CPRE launches Save the CPRE launches Save Belt Campaign Green Oxford for pipeline the in houses 3,500 With City, the of south the to Belt Green the a launched have we Road, Grenoble at and awareness raise to campaign new the area. help protect information. more See pages 6 & 7 for

Over the past year, we have achieved some real successes. successes. some real achieved have we the past year, Over some of the highlights. are Here CPRE campaign successes campaign CPRE Harwell Campus viewed from the Ridgeway. from Campus viewed Harwell Join the debate. Join the campaign. Join CPRE In alliance with local campaign groups groups campaign local with alliance In CPRE ensured that 15 Green Belt sites sites Belt Green 15 that ensured CPRE White of Vale the from withdrawn were Plan. Local Horse Protecting the Oxford Green Green the Oxford Protecting Belt If allowed to go ahead, this housing housing this ahead, go to allowed If adverse an had have would allocation on the landscape setting of the effect dangerous a set have would and AONB precedent. Working alongside the North Wessex Wessex North the alongside Working we helped Partnership, Downs AONB the by proposal major a off fight to for Council District Horse White of Vale the around AONB the in homes 1,400 Harwell Campus. Saving our landscapes Saving Wessex North the save to helped We of Outstanding Natural Downs Area largest the from (AONB) Beauty housing allocation in an proposed country. in the anywhere AONB CPRE Members’ Phil Crockett events

In early May, on a beautiful spring day, we went to Chalgrove in south Oxfordshire, a quiet village with some attractive old buildings bypassed by the busy road to Oxford. Most people probably know it as the site of a Civil War battle in 1643 or of a WWII airfield, both just outside the village, Sulgrave Manor but few know that the village is home to two nationally important buildings, reveal a much changed landscape and built by Lawrence Washington, but St. Mary’s Church and the Manor community. the kitchen wing was added later after House. dilapidation of much of the original For our final event in September, we house. The Washington family’s coat of We first went to the church where we travelled just across the border into arms is prominently displayed above were able to see the superb set of 14th the Northamptonshire Cotswolds, the main door. Its simple red stars and century wall paintings which have to Sulgrave Manor, home of George bars are said to have influenced the been recently restored. They illustrate Washington’s English ancestors. We design of the American flag. We ended the life of the Virgin Mary and are were again lucky with the weather, our tour at the Buttery for delicious not only rare but are of great historic with sunshine and blue skies. We were home-made soup and bread, and were interest and are among the best given an excellent tour of this small then free to wander round the gardens preserved in the country. but fascinating Tudor-origin house of the manor. Another enjoyable day. built by Lawrence Washington in the After lunch in the Red Lion pub (owned mid-16th century. The Great Hall and Judy Crockett, CPRE South by the church!), we walked on to the the chamber above it were exactly as Oxfordshire District Committee other end of the village to Chalgrove Manor. Our visit to Oxford University’s In August, members were given a When Paul and Rachel Jacques bought “Laboratory in the Woods” at conducted tour of the first phase this property in 1977 they had no Wytham in June proved both of the eco-town in NW Bicester by idea of what lay behind the external absorbing and a bonding exercise representatives of A K Dominion, rendering and the modern internal for the twenty or so members who the developers of the site. After an walls. Gradually, as renovation work took part, since it must have been introductory talk and a visit to the began, they realized they were the the wettest evening of the whole show house, built to the highest eco owners of a rather special medieval summer! Listening attentively to standards, we walked around the moated hall house, dating from the the excellent commentary from our 100 or so completed houses and latter half of the 15th century. They guide, Nigel Fisher, the Warden of viewed the just-finished area power gave us a fascinating tour of the the site, we squelched determinedly generating plant. While most CPRE house, even letting us crawl into the through the undergrowth to view the members will have misgivings about attic where we could see the finely various long-term experiments set up the current levels of development in moulded roof timbers and evidence of by the research staff and students of the county, we were all impressed by the smoke louvre indicating that the the university. Wytham is unique in the attempt being made to achieve original hall was open to the roof. providing a setting for experiments truly sustainable development running not just over a few years but and the ethos of A K Dominion, Oxfordshire’s countryside is subject to over decades, making it possible to the housing association which an unprecedented push for economic trace the rise and fall of generations underpins it. growth and Chalgrove Airfield may of animal, bird and plant species end up as the site of 3,500 homes to – and, no, contrary to popular belief, Gill Salway satisfy Oxford City’s unmet housing they didn’t film Morse here! CPRE Vice-Chairman need. A future visit to Chalgrove might

Oxfordshire Voice Branch Office CPRE Online Published biannually by the Oxfordshire Branch CPRE Oxfordshire, First Floor, 20 High Street, Oxfordshire: www.cpreoxon.org.uk of the Campaign to Protect Rural England. Watlington, Oxon OX49 5PY Twitter: @CPREOxfordshire Design: Rob Bowker T: 01491 825609 (Registered office) www.facebook.com/CPREOxfordshire Print: Severnprint Ltd with vegetable inks T: 01491 612079 on recycled paper using renewable energy. E: [email protected] National: www.cpre.org.uk