Lack Of Energy Saving To New Housing Development Disappoints Councillors

THAME town councillors have expressed their disappointment that homes currently being built on the old Rycotewood college site will not have double glazing.
Councillor Peter Cockayne told fellow councillors at a meeting of the Planning committee yesterday, that he had been told that apartments being converted from the old Workhouse building on the site, will not be double glazed because Conservation Officers had disallowed it.
The irony of the District Council’s Officers’ decision was not lost on some of those present, who had been discussing the Draft Sustainable Development Strategy for 2007-2010, currently being formulated by South Oxfordshire District Council.
The document states that the strategy will include: “…encouraging developers and architects to specify new buildings and refurbishments with high environmental standards, including energy and water saving measures..”

District and Town Cllr David Dodds, had presented a synopsis of the Draft consultation document explaining that it included a commitment to ensure that the district council’s chosen Contractors in Procurement of services, are fully compliant with sustainability and that Building Control Inspectors would receive training about sustainability.
He called the document: “A very important step forward for what is a very uncertain future.”

The Planning committee agreed to write to the Conservation Officer about decisions regarding the Rycotewood development.