The application by Manor Oak Homes to build up to 43 homes at a site south of the New Yatt Road in North Leigh was refused at the West Oxfordshire District Council Lowlands Area Planning Sub-Committee meeting on 11th September 2023.
The North Leigh Parish Council Planning Committee called a meeting for residents of North Leigh in April 2023 to discuss their views on this proposal which was very well attended with more than 30 members of the public attending. Residents expressed their concerns about yet more housing being built in the village (there has been a 42% increase in housing in the last 6 years), about building at this site leading to coalescence between North Leigh and New Yatt, about the extra traffic and parking congestion, the problems with sewers, sewage treatment surface water drainage and low water pressure that would be made worse, the dangerous exit from the site and lack of pathways on the New Yatt Road, the cracking, flooding and damp problems in the adjacent Breakspear Way development and a range of other issues.
North Leigh Parish Council then filed a comment listing these objections on the West Oxfordshire District Council planning portal together with the many individual comments of residents. The application was due to be considered at a Lowlands meeting in August 2023, but the Parish Council attended to request a deferral of the decision to allow Councillors the opportunity for a site visit.
The application was then brought for consideration at the 11th September Lowlands Planning Committee meeting where the Parish Council, together with local neighbours made a strong defence against the application, representing the views of the parish residents. In the subsequent debate Ward Councillor Harry St. John, who is a member of the Lowlands Committee, spoke against the planning officer’s recommendation for approval, on the grounds that it breached a number of Policy reasons which outweighed the housing land supply factor dominating the planning officer’s thinking. Harry St. John then seconded a motion to refuse the application- the motion to refuse had 7 in favour, 3 against and 3 abstentions and so was carried.
It remains to be seen whether Manor Oak, who is a land promoter and not a house builder, appeals against this refusal or promotes their site through the Local Plan review. We must remain vigilant.