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'Florence plan' for A34
THE developer behind the proposed Weston Otmoor eco-town says it expects the first homes to be occupied by 2012.
The ambition of the scheme for settlement of 35,000 people on the A34 has already persuaded Housing Minister Caroline Flint to include it on a shortlist of just 15, from which ten eco-towns will be chosen.
But Parkridge Holdings already knows that it will be bitterly fought by local people, with the campaign of opposition spearheaded by the parents of former tennis star Tim Henman.
Secrecy has surrounded the contents of the submission to the Government, with Parkridge declining to release details of the scheme in advance of the minister's announcement.
But today we can reveal details of the scheme which won it a place on the shortlist.
Local people have expressed astonishment at the prospect of a Florence-inspired bridge over the A34.
Tony Henman, who helped create the Weston Front action group, said: "It is an extraordinary suggestion having a bridge like that going over the A34. You would not be able to hear yourself think.
"The more I hear about it, the more convinced I am that this is a bad site. Transport is a massive problem here. What concerns me is that, at the end of the day, central government will make a decision, overriding local opposition. If that were the case, we would go to judicial review."
John Roper, vice-chairman of Weston-on-the-Green Parish Council, said the proposed Florence-style bridge would not encourage support for the eco-town.
He said: "It's in the wrong place and there are so many other things against it as far as the villagers are concerned."
The promise of developer funding for the East-West Rail Link has also failed to win over the sceptics.
Mr Roper added: "I know they are on about spending millions of pounds on improving the access to and from the A34, and the train link, but let's get that done before anything else is considered."
A railway station is proposed on the southern end of the eco-town, with tram and bus services connecting to shops and schools.
There would be a maximum 200-metre walk to a tram or bus-stop from any house. The submission to the Government says: "Cars will be notable by their absence". Residents would be provided with free tram and bus services around the town and into Oxford.
The developer told the Government "a large park-and-ride will provide a quicker, more direct alternative for car commuters to Oxford."
Millions more would have to be spent on transforming the M40/A34 junction.
County council leader, Keith Mitchell, said: "The developers promise huge infrastructure investment and considerable affordable housing.
"It simply does not seem to stack up financially."
He feared the eco-town would have serious implications for Bicester, adding: "The Weston eco-town would be bright, shiny and new, while Bicester would still be trying to come to terms with its huge housing growth, with a low-wage and low-skill economy."
The masterplan would accommodate 10,000 dwellings, later rising to 15,000 homes. The eco-town would offer two secondary schools, eight primary schools, with an estimated 12,000 people working there.
The developer says that it has been in talks with the Ministry of Defence, which owns 16 per cent of the 828-hectare site.
But the CPRE (Campaign to Protect Rural England) is angry that the area was described by the Housing Minister as a brownfield site, when more than 80 per cent is farmland. About a third is in the Green Belt and it includes a BBOWT area of Special Scientific Interest.
5:00pm Thursday 10th April 2008
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CommentPosted by: J, oxford on 10:11pm Thu 10 Apr 08
I hope they either:
1) Refuse planning permission
2) Turn the A34 into a motorway or
3) Ban car ownership from the development
This area does NOT have the road infrastructure to support such a development, and the A34 and M40 will just become an endless queue of traffic.
They really haven't thought this through, and should take off their green tinted glasses and see the bigger picture.
Where are these 12000 people going to work?!?! They certainly won't be able to DRIVE anywhere! And unless they half train prices, I doubt people will use public transport!
I hope they either:
1) Refuse planning permission
2) Turn the A34 into a motorway or
3) Ban car ownership from the development
This area does NOT have the road infrastructure to support such a development, and the A34 and M40 will just become an endless queue of traffic.
They really haven't thought this through, and should take off their green tinted glasses and see the bigger picture.
Where are these 12000 people going to work?!?! They certainly won't be able to DRIVE anywhere! And unless they half train prices, I doubt people will use public transport!
Posted by: John Whitworth, London on 11:05pm Thu 10 Apr 08
You can't build a town this big and not create far too much traffic.
This project is never going to built.
You can't build a town this big and not create far too much traffic.
This project is never going to built.
Posted by: Anon, Oxford on 9:28pm Fri 11 Apr 08
I imagine the majority of them will work in Oxford. I hope you can afford to buy a house in Oxford, J, because I can't. It's true that there are serious questions about the transport infrastructure - it needs to be part of the plan from Day 1, not some add-on vaguely promised by Central government. Without that it will be a non-starter.
But there are thousands of people currently living and working in Oxford who despair at the chance of owning their own homes.
I imagine the majority of them will work in Oxford. I hope you can afford to buy a house in Oxford, J, because I can't. It's true that there are serious questions about the transport infrastructure - it needs to be part of the plan from Day 1, not some add-on vaguely promised by Central government. Without that it will be a non-starter.
But there are thousands of people currently living and working in Oxford who despair at the chance of owning their own homes.
Posted by: D R, Weston on the Green on 3:20pm Thu 15 May 08
[quote][bold]Anon[/bold] wrote:
I imagine the majority of them will work in Oxford. I hope you can afford to buy a house in Oxford, J, because I can't. It's true that there are serious questions about the transport infrastructure - it needs to be part of the plan from Day 1, not some add-on vaguely promised by Central government. Without that it will be a non-starter.
But there are thousands of people currently living and working in Oxford who despair at the chance of owning their own homes.[/quote] If people want to own homes near the M40 with direct rail links to Oxford, move to Bicester. It exists already, has plenty of houses for sale, and house prices in OX26 are below the national average. If people are renting homes and wish to buy them but can't afford it, that does not imply a shortage of homes requiring 20,000 more to be built on fields and a nature reserve. It just confirms the British obsession with owning property, something that is not seen in continental Europe where rental is much more common. It is an argument for allowing tenants to buy their properties and for limiting the use of homes as investment opportunities by property developers, such as the companies wishing to build the eco towns, where, of course, most of the "affordable" homes will be for rental or shared ownership anyway.
Anon wrote:
I imagine the majority of them will work in Oxford. I hope you can afford to buy a house in Oxford, J, because I can't. It's true that there are serious questions about the transport infrastructure - it needs to be part of the plan from Day 1, not some add-on vaguely promised by Central government. Without that it will be a non-starter.
But there are thousands of people currently living and working in Oxford who despair at the chance of owning their own homes.
If people want to own homes near the M40 with direct rail links to Oxford, move to Bicester. It exists already, has plenty of houses for sale, and house prices in OX26 are below the national average. If people are renting homes and wish to buy them but can't afford it, that does not imply a shortage of homes requiring 20,000 more to be built on fields and a nature reserve. It just confirms the British obsession with owning property, something that is not seen in continental Europe where rental is much more common. It is an argument for allowing tenants to buy their properties and for limiting the use of homes as investment opportunities by property developers, such as the companies wishing to build the eco towns, where, of course, most of the "affordable" homes will be for rental or shared ownership anyway.
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