The following objection has been submitted to the planning inspectorate on behalf of Wardington Parish Council in relation to the Huscote Farm planning appeal:

Wardington Parish Council supports the Objections raised by Parish Councils in West Northants including our neighbouring Parish of Chacombe

The Objections submitted by Wardington Parish Council  are as follows:

Summary:

  1. The size of the proposed development
  2. Yet more unsightly warehousing
  3. The employment created will be mainly low skilled and low paid
  4. Not consistent with the CDC Local Plan and its aspirations
  5. It will put yet more pressure on the already congested and air polluted Junction 11 area
  6. It will result in the permanent loss of an environmentally and visually important area of countryside

1.The Size of the Proposed Development

The area of land involved is 66.15 hectares (163 acres). Banbury 15, now known as Frontier Park, is 13 hectares. A fifth of the size. It takes little imagination to realise that the impact of the proposed development on the local environment, traffic congestion and air pollution will be major, whatever the applicants say about mitigation.

This impact will be in addition to that caused by the planned growth of Banbury, the development of Frontier Park as it comes on stream, and the steadily increasing traffic on the A361. This is forecast to increase by 6% a year (i.e. to double every 12 years) without including that created by HS2.

  1. Yet More Unsightly Warehousing

The reality of just how intrusive and depressing a development of large warehousing can be is shown clearly by Frontier Park. Concerns were expressed about this by Councillors at the meeting that gave planning approval. Now the warehouses are built local people describe their appearance and impact as horrendous. Some are less polite.

The site plan that accompanied this new application shows 10 warehouses. There are 3 on Frontier Park. These are nominally 15 metres high. In the proposed Huscote Farm development the 10 buildings are a mixture of 19 metres and 23 metres high. This is not how the Local Council or local people want the northern outskirts of Banbury to appear.

  1. Any Employment Created will be mainly Low Skilled and Low Paid

Despite the best of Cherwell District Council’s plans and intentions for Banbury 15 (technical, highly skilled, highly paid new jobs) exactly the opposite has happened. If the appeal of the Outline Plan is approved, the bad compromise will be repeated on the other side of the road on a much larger scale.

  1. Not Consistent with the CDC Local Plan and its Aspirations

As said in (3) the aspirations in the Local Plan for type of employment are not met. The current Local Plan does allocate sites for employment and commercial development. Despite being designated in the past for a new livestock market, this site is not among them. It is not put forward in the July 2020 and September 2021 consultation documents for the extension of the Local Plan to 2040. It only appears in an Appendix as a site submitted by the previous owners of the Banbury 15 land.

  1. More Pressure on the already Congested and Air Polluted Junction 11 area

Congestion around Junction 11 of the M40 is already a problem. It affects the A361 and the A422. Even a minor road traffic incident causes major delays. In addition to the 6% year on year increase in traffic forecast for the A361, there will also be that from Frontier Park.

Section 8 of the Outline Application (Transport and Access) expects there to be an additional 6,300 2-Way vehicle movements to and from the A361 in each 24 hour weekday period. Of these 2,200 will be HGV’s. At peak times there will be between 7 & 8 2-Way vehicle movements a minute.

This will put yet more traffic pressure on Junction 11, the A361, the A422 and local villages.

Air pollution in the vicinity of Junction 11 and between the Junction and Banbury is among the worst in Oxfordshire. This proposed development can only make it worse. In our opinion it should be rejected on this basis alone.

6.Permanent loss of an Environmentally and Visually important area of Countryside 

Section (2) of this submission emphasises the horrendous effect major warehouse development has on the visual aspect of an area. The site involved in this case is five times larger than Banbury 15. The 10 buildings planned are higher than the 3 on Frontier Park. Activity will be 24/7. Additional light and noise pollution will be considerable and permanent.

The consultation documents for the extension of the CDC Local Plan to 2040 highlight the importance of biodiversity and the natural environment, of the need for a balance between commercial activity and tranquillity and the benefits to Banbury of tourism.

We suggest that the application to develop over 60 hectares in this destructive way is totally inappropriate and short-sighted. It is not the way forward for Banbury or the balance between town and country that make it special.