PLANS to build a pub and 40 homes are on the agenda at a council meeting this afternoon.
An extension at a cottage in North Street, Fritwell, forming a pub and cafe/restaurant, plus 40 homes, will be discussed by Cherwell District Council’s planning committee.
A request has been made for the committee to visit the site, by councillor Eddie Reeves, to ‘consider the position on the ground’.
A council report however states that committee members could undertake their own informal visits.
The report states: “There are low hedges that separate the site from the roadway, that allow for views to be gained over them.
“Members of the committee could therefore reasonably undertake their own informal visits and gain a good understanding of the site and its surroundings without the need to access private land.
“In relation to informing an assessment of the impact of the proposal in terms of its potential visual impact, or its potential impact on the setting of the surrounding area, it is the view of officers that entry to the site would not provide any additional benefit given the level of existing public viewpoints.
“The recommendation of officers it is that a formal committee site visit is not necessary as it would have limited value in this instance.”
On the application itself, a report by conservation officer Rosie Burton says it ‘would represent an overdevelopment of the site’.
The officer’s report states: “The proposed layout shows limited gaps between the buildings, with buildings and driveways taking up a significant portion of the frontage of the site.
“This alongside the arrangement of garages and houses would result in a rather suburban and cramped layout compared to the more varied and spacious arrangement of buildings that currently exists.
“It would be harmful to the loose-knit settlement pattern in this area and would also detrimentally impact on the rural character and appearance of this key entrance to the village, and significantly reduce any views out to the open countryside surrounding the village.
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“If it was considered that this proposal is appropriate from a planning perspective, then considerable redesign of the layout for the site would need to be carried out so that it would fit in better with the character of the host village and adjacent designated heritage asset.
“There may be some public benefit from more housing in the village, but this particular site and proposal will cause damage to the significance of the adjacent designated heritage asset by irrevocably removing the rural setting of the conservation area.
“The public benefit will not outweigh the damage this proposal will have on the setting of the conservation area.”
To view the application on the district council’s online planning portal, use the reference number 22/01807/OUT.
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This story was written by Liam Rice, he joined the team in 2019 as a multimedia reporter.
Liam covers politics, travel and transport. He occasionally covers Oxford United.
Get in touch with him by emailing: Liam.rice@newsquest.co.uk
Follow him on Twitter @OxMailLiamRice
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