Pat Clissold – responsible for previous website postings on the Gavray Drive development proposals – has provided an update on the current progress of this issue:
The original planning enquiry examining Cherwell District Council’s Local Plan for the period up to 2031, which included details of proposed housing growth for Bicester, was suspended in June this year when the planning inspector considered that the housing targets may be too low.
Following this, CDC has produced modifications to the Local Plan and is now consulting on these. Full details of these proposed modifications, plus other documents relating to the Local Plan are available to download from a single CDC website page dedicated to this.
Details of special relevance to Langford residents include the Gavray Meadows development and also SE Bicester, which is the large area of agricultural land to the other side of Wretchwick Way with an allocation of 1500 homes. Maps showing the SE Bicester and Gavray areas, designated “Bicester 12” and “Bicester 13” can be seen here. Additional details of the Gavray area can be seen here and here, and details of the SE Bicester area here.
A Map showing an overview of the Local Plan proposals for the whole of Bicester can be viewed here.
Residents now have until 3rd October to comment on the proposed modifications ahead of a meeting of the full council on 20th October when members will vote whether to accept the revisions. If agreed, these will be put to the Inspector when the hearing is expected to resume on 9th December.
I cannot see how the Gavray Meadows can be both a strategic housing site (pink on Map 13) and part of the River Ray Conservation Target Area (cross-hatch on map). Also Bicester 13 development goes right up to the railway line, which cuts off the wildlife site from the rest of the River Ray conservation area, closing a wildlife corridor. This is detrimental to biodiversity. I have to formulate these objections more formally for the CDC examination but I will do so shortly.