Chilton under Siege – CPRE Press Release
18th May 2015
The village of Chilton in the Vale of the White Horse District is under siege from inappropriate development, says CPRE in a Press Release issued today.
The village of Chilton in the Vale of the White Horse District, which lies just a few miles to the north of the ancient Ridgeway and within the boundary of the North Wessex Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB), is today under siege from inappropriate development (see Press Release below).
In the last few weeks, there have been four planning applications on greenfield sites around the edge of the village of Chilton, for a total of 167 houses (see map of sites below).
The Vale of White Horse District Council, in its draft Local Plan, has identified two strategic development sites on greenfield next to the village of Chilton, for a total of 1,400 houses. The Vale proposes to build 850 houses to the east of the Harwell campus and another 550 to the north, both of which will have a significant impact on the AONB.
These large developments have been proposed despite the AONB being a nationally protected landscape, which should only be built on as a last resort and in exceptional circumstances. The strategic allocation of 1,400 houses in the AONB in the Vale, should it remain in the Local Plan, is the largest greenfield housing allocation nationally within any protected landscape (AONB or National Park).
CPRE beileves the overall housing numbers in the Vale Local Plan are too high: the constraing on the AONB has not been taken into account and therefore the figures should be reduced accordingly. Moreover, we consider that the strategic allocation is completely inappropritae in the AONB. We are therefore urging the Vale to re-think their strategic allocation.
Helen Marshall, Director of CPRE Oxfordshire said: “We are concerned that the proposed strategic allocation by the Vale District Council is being seen as a green light for development in the North Wessex Downs AONB. If the Council approves these speculative applications it will damage this nationally protected landscape.”
Have your say!
The Vale of White Horse is currently considering the planning applications in Chilton. CPRE urges all concerned residents to object to these speculative applications and defend the AONB from this relentless attack.
The four windfall outline applications with the VWHDC, for a total of 167 houses, are as follows:
1. Application for 50 new dwellings on land to the north and east of Lower Road, Chilton (Reference: P15/V0969/O)
2. Application for 20 new dwelling on land adjacent to Manor Close, Chilton (Reference: P15/V0961/O)
3. Application for 40 dwelling on land off Hagbourne Hill, Chilton (Reference: P15/V0325/O)
4. Application for 57 dwellings on land off Upper Farm Road, Chilton (Reference: P14/V2462/O)
CPRE Oxfordshire, 18 May 2015
Map_of_Chilton__Harwell_Campus.pdf
Map_of_Chilton_1_1.pdf
CPRE_OXON_PRESS_RELEASE__-_Chilton_Under_Siege_-_18_May.pdf