The Bridge Magazine November 2024 – Correction

Steve Brown, Chairman of the Parish Council, writes …

Residents may have seen an unattributed article titled “New Plans for Didcot Development” in The Bridge this month (page 17) about a planning application to build approximately 200 homes and originally, a Special Educational Needs School (SEND) on land to the east of Ladygrove (Road) also known as the Straight Mile.

This site is opposite the 2000 new homes which are already under construction on the west side of Ladygrove.  The latest application no longer includes the SEND school but does have unallocated space for “potential community facilities “ which means they could come back later for the school.

The article suggests this is part of the Didcot Garden Town project.  This is incorrect as the land in question is within Long Wittenham Parish.  This is a speculative application and not shown in the Didcot Garden Town plans nor the emerging Joint Local Plan from South Oxfordshire and Vale of White Horse District Councils.

The Parish Council (PC) considered this application at its meeting on 26th September and resolved to firmly object to the plans on several grounds as recorded in the minutes:

P24/S2764/O Land off Sires Hill southeast of B4106 Didcot
– The council resolved to object to this application on 4 main grounds:
1. It contradicts policies in the Neighbourhood Development Plan.
2. It contradicts policies in the SODC Local Plan.
3. There are significant archaeological features on the site.
4. An historic landfill site has been identified within 350m of the location.

The PC’s detailed objection to these plans can be seen on the SODC website at:-

https://data.southoxon.gov.uk/ccm/support/dynamic_serve.jsp?ID=2477552494&CODE=24A439C5C90E77717A726AA2108AA4C3

None of these serious concerns, nor the PC’s objections are mentioned in The Bridge.

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4 Responses to The Bridge Magazine November 2024 – Correction

  1. Bill Symonds says:

    Well done Steve. good to see someone is battling hard for Long Wittenham

  2. Ann Tomline says:

    Thank you for this information as I do not have The Bridge. I totally agree this is not in the plan and hope the village will object as have the PC on our behalf. We have all seen the steady increase in traffic through the village and when the houses being built at the moment are all occupied the traffic will only increase causing more congestion. With the new school and village Hall proposal hopefully soon to come into fruition, and proposed houses enough is enough .

  3. Jane May says:

    Thank you Steve for this clarification. Wittenham Against Overdevelopment strongly supports the Parish Council objections; we have responded formally to the consultation & have encouraged other parishioners to do so.

  4. David Haylett says:

    The mere thought of “2000 new homes which are already under construction on the west side of Ladygrove” is scary. Yesterday (Friday) I went to Didcot to shop around 11.30am and the Orchard Centre car park was almost full. With 2000 more households where are these people going to go to shop? “Didcot Garden Town” is a joke, the only sign of “garden” in the concrete and tarmac jungle is the flowering weeds which line the roundabout and kerbs by the railway bridge and other places!

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