Large Developments
Lodge Hill South-facing slip roads: the proposal went to the County Council Planning Committee in February 2023. The Committee raised a number of (mainly technical) questions on details of the proposal and have referred it back to the proposers for these to be answered. If, as seems likely, further changes re made, there will need to be a further 30-day consultation period before it goes back to the Planning Committee. Hopefully this will be done in time for the June or July meetings, but if not, it will have to wait till September.
Details of the current proposal and the Committee’s questions can be found at https://bit.ly/40FRzwL
In the meantime, the condition remains that no more than 400 houses can be occupied in the Abbey Fields development on Dunmore Road and the Bellway one on Twelve Acre Drive.
“Circus Field”: the Aldi store on the northern part of the site is now open, although there are some issues over the access road and these are still being addressed with the developers.
VWHDC still insists that housing should be built on the remainder of the Circus Field even though the 200 houses originally specified for the whole North-West Abingdon development are now accounted for in Kingsgate. We will continue to oppose any more housing in this area which is cramped and surrounded on all sides by major roads.
“Land North of Dunmore Road and Twelve Acre Drive”: the detailed application for the first 425 houses on this development was submitted in the autumn 2019 (P19/V1998/RM) and was approved – despite several members of the Planning Committee expressing reservations. Work is now well under way on this development which is now known as Abbey Fields and is being built by David Wilson Homes. There is still no detailed application for the central services area of the development (shops, surgery etc.) which is a matter of concern.
Another condition for the approval was that “No more than 400 dwellings shall be occupied until a contract for the construction works to provide the south facing A34 Lodge Hill slip roads has been awarded by the County Council.”
“Land North of Twelve Acre Drive”: this parcel of land (between Oxford Road and the Peachcroft Farm turkey field) was included in the outline planning approval for the rest of the North Abingdon development, so the same conditions will apply. Bellway Homes have approval for 371 houses and flats on this site. More details here.