Neighbourhood Plan beginning to deliver
THE first new, large-scale house building in Thame, since the publication of its Neighbourhood Plan, is likely to begin in the not-to-distant future, following the news that a detailed planning application for 79 homes, including affordable housing, is likely to be submitted very soon.
Concept Vision diagram of the proposed development of land at The Elms (Image courtesy of nashpartnership.com)
News of the progress of the proposed development, on the Western side of what is known as Site C in the Thame Neighbourhood Plan (the area closest to Thame Park Road), was given at a recent meeting between Thame Town Council and the various Residents Associations, to discuss the TNP Draft Monitoring and Delivery Report 2013-14.
The council reported that: “It is anticipated that the balance of housing (108 dwellings), on the eastern part of Site C, will be submitted, in outline, as part of the same planning application.” If approved, this part of the site is likely to then be sold on before being developed.
Housing Development on land at Lord Williams’s Lower school
REFERRING to the allocation in the TNP for 135 homes at Lord Williams’s Lower School, the council reported that the school is currently assessing feasibility plans but is not yet ready to go out to consultation. It is, however, “fully committed” said the council, to involving all the relevant Residents’ Associations in discussions, once the plans are available.
Land at The Elms
THIS ‘controversial site’ has, reported the council, been the subject of many meetings and discussions between the council, the developer, Rectory Homes, and English Heritage.
“At this stage, there is nothing on the table about the final numbers,” the council reported, “or where on the site the proposed houses will go. (The TNP allows for a maximum of 45 homes, whereas English Heritage is calling for no more than 35, and none to interrupt the view South from the main house, The Elms.)
The Clerk said that as the plan comes forward, it will be discussed in public at a full council meeting, and that if planning permission was granted, there would need to be detailed public consultation about any proposed associated changes to the public open space next door, Elms Park, itself.
Later in the meeting, Barry Yates, Chair of the Oxford Road Residents Association, was concerned about possible traffic problems in Nelson Street, should development take place at The Elms. The Clerk, Helen Stewart, said that a Transport assessment would have to be part of any planning application, and that so far, no objection had been made by Oxfordshire County Council.
The town council stated that it will publish in full, the details of the Thame Neighbourhood Plan Monitoring and Delivery Report 2013-14, in the near future.
