Plans for new ‘bolt on’ housing rejected by town council

PLANS for a new housing development on the west side of Thame, have been roundly rejected by all town councillors, one of them describing the plans as looking as though “…they were designed by a sixth former!”

Image showing proposed housing mix on ‘site c’ – Courtesy of Taylor Wimpey
Pink – private, Blue – rented, Green – shared ownership

Thame Town Council met last night to decide whether to recommend acceptance or refusal of the plans for a housing development on Site C (in the Thame Neighbourhood Plan), between Thame Park Road and Wenman Road, after hearing a report from the council’s Planning Consultant, Jake Collinge.

The main criticisms of the plans were that the principle of a ‘housing mix’ as laid down in the TNP and the layout of the plan and design of the houses, did not reflect the requirements for Thame. Jake Collinge stated that in his view, the Market housing mix (2,3,4 or 5 bedroom homes):..”does not in any way address the needs for Thame.”

He was concerned that the so-called two bedroom homes (for which Thame is in particular need of) were exactly the same layout as the three beds, except that one of them is marked as a study. Similarly the three bedroomed houses are the same as the four bed, but with one bedroom marked as a study!

The street layout, he suggested did not reflect the requirement of the TNP to reflect the character of Thame in its ‘spaciousness and character’.

He noted that some of the houses were of the same design as those on the old Chinnor Cement Works sites, and as such did not ‘raise the design bar as anticipated in the Neighbourhood Plan.’

Cllr Helena Fickling, herself an Architect and Chair of the town council’s Planning and Environment Committee, was unhappy with the way the plans separated out houses to be sold on the open marked, and those intended for Part-ownership or as ‘affordable’ housing. The plan, she said: “…creates a ghetto; with ‘millionaires row’ at the bottom!

“This is not what we want for Thame,” she added.

Cllr Mike Welply said he was ‘disappointed’ with the plans. “To my mind this looks like a bog standard housing estate, the same as those at Didcot and Westbrook Park. To come into Thame and see that is just not good enough. They need to go back to the drawing board.”

Cllr Fickling called the ‘tiny play area, stuck in the top corner of the plan’ on the road side, “lunatic!”

“Why not put it in the central square to encourage some social life?” she suggested. Cllr Vaughan Humphries asked if any more changes were planned for the new junction layout at Wenman Road where there had already been an accident. Jake Collinge explained that there would be some new crosssing points from the new development, and that an officer from SODC was coming to look at the junction with a view to some branch-cutting being carried out to improve visibility turning right towards Thame.

Cllr Peter Lambert said: “It is imperative that we make the right decision (tonight). The whole idea of the Neighbourhood Plan was to create somewhere nice to live in Thame, not to bolt on a new estate.

“How is it,” he asked, “that these developers can come out with fantastic plans and promises with wonderful watercolour drawings, and then ignore them?”

Cllr Mike Dyer said that in his opinion, the plans treated the Neighbourhood Plan ‘with contempt’ and proposed that the council recommend South Oxfordshire District Council refuse detailed planning permission. The councillors obviously agreed and voted unanimously to support his proposal.

The plans will be considered by SODC’s Planning committee in September. Meanwhile, the consultation period for this application runs until July 10, 2014. 

Jake Collinge’s full report can be read here: http://www.thametowncouncil.gov.uk/images/7._Report_-_P14-S1619-O_Land_East_of_Thame_Park_Road.pdf