18/02303/RES

Littlemore Park Armstrong Road Oxford Oxfordshire OX4 4XG

23 November 2018

Details of reserved matters (layout, scale, appearance, landscaping and access) pursuant to planning application 18/02231/VAR (variation of condition 3 (approved plans and documents) to revise indicative parameters plans and condition 18 (noise levels) to revise residential noise levels of planning permission 14/02940/OUT as varied by 14/02940/NMA and 14/02940/NMA2 (Outline planning application (with all matters reserved) seeking permission for up to 270 residential dwellings to incorporate a maximum of 92 houses on 2 to 3 floors of 1 to 4 bedrooms with one dwelling being a house with 5 bedrooms and 178 flats of 1 to 4 bedrooms on 2 to 5 floors. Provision of car parking, cycle and bin storage, landscaping and ancillary works. (Amended plans and additional information)

Oxford Civic Society welcomes the highly detailed content of the Design and Access Statement. The implementation of the scheme approved in the outline planning permission has been generally well thought out.

Our concerns are mainly to do with potential traffic congestion, public transport, and the provisions for pedestrian and cycle access.  With regard to the latter, we trust that there will be firm enforcement of the condition requiring pedestrian and bicycle access from the site across the brook to the Science Park to be provided within six months of the first occupation. However, the possible off-site connection to St George’s Park (page 75) has been firmly ruled out by the owners of St George’s Park.

With regard to the significant increase in traffic of all kinds that can be expected from the development, we support the proposal of the Littlemore Parish Council that parking restrictions need to be strengthened and we urge that the Highways Authority review the existing provision of single and double yellow lines with a view to ensuring the smooth passage of traffic on Armstrong Road and Sandford Road.

While the financial support for bus services is welcome, it is very short-term at one year’s duration.  This is not sufficient to allow for the sustainability of a free-standing service to be demonstrated.  A considerably longer period of financial support should be required