17/02437/FUL

Land West Of 75 Town Furze Oxford Oxfordshire OX3 7EW

3 November 2017

 Erection of 2 x 3-bed and 2 x 4-bed dwellinghouses (Use Class C3)

 Notwithstanding the intense pressure for provision of housing, a previous application (ref. 16/00968) was refused in September of last year because of the close proximity and hence the risk to the Lye Valley SSSI, a unique site of extreme sensitivity. The current proposal, places emphasis on the effectiveness of the SUDS proposal and its long-term regular management as well as proposing that: “The undeveloped land within the site will be placed into long-term sympathetic management to provide high quality habitat immediately adjacent to the SSSI.” However, it is not clear what such management might entail, how it will be set up, how effective it might be in protecting and preserving the unique characteristics of the SSSI, or how its implementation may be not just ‘long-term’, but guaranteed in perpetuity.

The design of the proposed four-bedroom houses would provide poor-quality accommodation in regard to dining/sitting/bathrooms for the proposed 6-person occupancy.

We would urge that this application be refused on the grounds of the uncertainty of the mitigation of potential risks to the Lye Valley SSSI, and the inadequacies of the design.