RESIDENTS are not happy about plans to knock down a bungalow and turn it into a block of flats.

The five flats would be in a single two and a half storey building on Bicester Road, Kidlington.

But people are concerned about the increase in traffic it may bring to the already busy road as well as the impact it will have on the environment.

It has received 21 letters of objection and three letters of support.

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Neil McCulloch, 55, who lives on the road, says he opposes the plans because it goes against the council's climate change policies.

He said: "We are supposed to be trying to get to net zero emissions by 2050 – to do that we have to ensure that all new build properties are climate compatible.

“But this development includes no solar panels, no high-quality insulation, no heat pumps, no positions for electric vehicles – it basically ignores climate change completely.

"We simply cannot continue to give permission for developments that treat the climate with contempt.”

The applicant, who lives at the bungalow, proposes to include five parking spaces on the site, bringing in more cars on the road, and residents are worried about the safety of children going to and from Edward Feild Primary School which is off Bicester Road.

Bicester Advertiser:

Resident, Lyn Townsend, said: “This very busy area gets very congested during rush hour and school drop -off times.

“The street is too narrow for cars to park safely on both sides of the road as the space left is too narrow to provide access to larger vehicles.

"Any further building developments and the introduction of more vehicles to the area will jeopardise the safety of pedestrians and spoil the residents' enjoyment of their neighbourhood.”

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Oxfordshire County Council say the proposals do not have any ‘adverse impact’ on the local highway network, both from a traffic and safety point of view.

The highways report states that parking provision of one space per flat is considered acceptable because the site is located along a bus route that has services to Oxford and Bicester, coupled with Kidlington being one of the more sustainable settlements in Cherwell.

Bicester Advertiser:

One condition of the proposal is that the applicant must provide covered parking facilities for bicycles.

The application was originally to be discussed at last month's Cherwell District Council planning committee, however it was pushed back to tomorrow after the applicant made some amendments.

These included reducing the number of flats from six to five so that Mr McCulloch did not have a 'loss of light, overlooking and loss of privacy'.

Cherwell Green Councillor Ian Middleton said there needs to be 'sensitivity' about the impact developments like this can have on the local area.