20/02680/FUL

Land At The Junction Of Hosker Close And Merewood Avenue Oxford Oxfordshire OX3 8EG

24 November 2020

Erection of a 1 x 1-bed dwellinghouse (Use Class C3). Provision of car parking and relocation of footway.

Despite the headline on the Planning Portal this application for permission to build a two-storey 2xbed ‘Sustainable Tree House’ on a corner plot at the Junction of Hosker Close and Merewood Avenue raises a number of questions which the applicant needs to address.  While the DAS is impressive, the applicant has clearly done his homework, this corner site (grass verge) was/is a public space and so the right to give over the amenity space for building is both questionable and regrettable. If the private acquisition of such space is permissible it presents a serious precedent which can only lead to the demise of green space in existing housing estates.  The claim that there will be no loss of trees is dubious. The timber-clad building appears alien in the streetscape. Finally, the application does not provide information on the location of bin store and/or cycle racks. We presume these will be located in the area designated for the one parking space on Merewood Avenue but this should be confirmed.  Any decision should be deferred until these issues are examined and answered.