Developers want historical farmland at Huscote Farm for large scale commercial development, despite it being outside of council Local Development Plan – their proposal is 10 warehouse units around 23m high (thats FOUR double decker buses)
Although the area of Huscote Farm is not earmarked for development in Cherwell District Council Local Plan and in fact it was specifically excluded and not included in the draft Local Plan 2040, no less than three identical applications have been made within two years on this historic farmland
Many of the statutory consultees such as OCC, TVP, The Environment Agency, Highways, Banbury Town Council and neighbouring Northamptonshire councils as well as prominent local groups such as CPRE Oxon, Banbury Civic Society and BBOWT objected to this application and public objections went into the hundreds. Late in 2022, the applicant lodged an appeal on the grounds of non determination, despite not having provided the council with all of the information required for determination. At that time the applicant hadn’t even started their archaeological digs for example. The appeal was withdrawn shortly before the Public Inquiry was due to open when the applicant failed to provide information required by the Planning Inspectorate. Cherwell District Council planning committee voted unanimously for refusal of this proposal
When considering the original application, the planning officer cited FIFTEEN reasons for refusal, unanimously supported by CDC planning committee, significant concerns and objections were raised from statutory consultees such as OCC, TVP, The Environment Agency, Highways, Banbury Town Council and neighbouring Northamptonshire councils as well as prominent local groups such as CPRE Oxon, Banbury Civic Society and BBOWT. There were over 200 objections from the public
In December 2023, the applicant insolently disregarded Cherwell District Council’s fifteen significant grounds for refusal, everything previous said by Oxfordshire County Council, by the statutory consultees as well as the public and insolently lodged a new application for an identical proposal. Cherwell District Council worked hard to be able to bring the application before their committee and provide a determination within the statutory timescales laid down for them by Government.
The planning officer’s report was presented to the committee and published a week before the March planning committee meeting with a recommendation for refusal, unsurprisingly still stating 15 reasons for the recommendation. At the planning committee meeting, a representative of the agent addressed the meeting, requesting that determination of the application be deferred, ludicrously accusing the council of putting process over substance. The council’s deadline, as laid down by the government gives them 16 weeks to determine an application of this scale, a deadline which was due to expire less than a week after the determination.
Councillors present at the meeting voted to support their planning officer’s recommendation and the application for destruction of the ancient farmland site was refused.