House building in the South East has been gathering pace over the past decade driven by government objectives. Despite a downturn in the economy, and the impact the credit crunch is having, the planning for thousands of new homes in our region continues. This housing requires large areas of land; but land that is flat, well-drained and has no obvious constraints, favoured by developers, is also good quality agricultural land.

Background
Didcot has been identified as an area suitable for growth. In SODC’s own words “Didcot is the largest town in the district with a population of about 25,000. It lies close to expanding employment areas in the Vale of White Horse District and benefits from access to strategic rail and road networks. As a result, it is the focus for major growth in the district. With the benefit of this growth we aim to transform Didcot into a lively thriving town.” Although it is increasingly recognised that the major transport links are already at capacity, the level of commitment shown in the latest SE development plan towards providing new infrastructure to deal with the additional housing in Didcot remains unclear.

What is new
Great Western Park development has already been approved although the date for the start of construction has been delayed until at least 2010. Now both South Oxfordshire District Council and The Vale of White Horse District Council need to put forward plans to add the thousands of additional homes required in Didcot up to 2026. The Parish Council is deeply concerned over retaining the important gap between the town and the village, maintaining the rural identity of West Hagbourne, and ensuring that the Parish benefits from a suitable road network which allows vehicles to access the town successfully without having to come through the village.

The Vale is proposing to put its allocation of housing to the west of Great Western Park filling the space between the town and the A34. This will impact on Harwell village, and is likely to impact heavily on West Hagbourne, unless the right roads are built. Without them, and with increasing congestion on the A4130 Milton link road, Didcot residents are likely to continue to find their way out of the town via the villages. Both East and West Hagbourne PCs are very concerned that they will be caught in the middle of increased road use, before any suitable alternative routes are established. Also, the recent financial problems for large developers means that they may find it hard to fund infrastructure improvements in the next phase of development.

In addition to the specific expansion of Didcot, there are other significant factors which are likely to impact on the traffic flow through the village. At Chilton Field there are plans, not yet approved, to build 275 houses (Vale reference number is CHI/16952-X). This many homes would almost certainly generate more vehicle movements across Hagbourne Hill, as Didcot becomes more desirable as a shopping / leisure destination.

Further development of facilities at Harwell site, including a new hotel and many new jobs together with additional leisure and shopping in Didcot, and the improvement of the rail interchange, will continue to attract people to access both the Harwell site and Didcot, from all of the surrounding villages and beyond. As Abingdon becomes less attractive/harder to negotiate by car, it is logical to assume more journeys will be made to and from Didcot.

The increase in job opportunities at the Milton Business Park and the establishment of a Centre of Excellence at the Harwell science campus, will inevitably cause vehicle movements to increase. A proportion of these additional workers will wish to live in Didcot, either in existing housing, or fuelling the demand for new homes which must in turn influence the speed at which the Great Western Park development and subsequent growth is completed.

New Roads
Possible routes for any new roads are addressed by the South Central Oxfordshire Transport Strategy (SCOTS) report. Oxfordshire County Council commissioned planning consultants Halcrow in summer 2007 to produce a report which would provide the transport evidence base for the South Oxfordshire and Vale of White Horse District Councils’ Core Strategies within their Local Development Frameworks.

This acknowledges that Didcot requires new roads but its recommendations contain nothing ‘specific’ that would reduce West Hagbourne’s traffic. However, since publication, several new or amended proposals have been discussed by OCC’s senior planners, as a result of initial consultation. Click here to see the full report.

Both West and East Hagbourne Parish Councils recently met with Oxfordshire County Council and were very positive about receiving suggestions from those attending who felt the broad brush approach indicated by SCOTS had huge implications for the villages. Most of all, OCC officers lacked local knowledge. They would therefore welcome your input.

Click here to view notes from the meeting with OCC Transport Planning Officer.

Click here for online response form to SCOTS report

To reduce traffic flow in West Hagbourne, it is essential that a Harwell/Hagbournes bypass is routed south of the A417 towards the Harwell site, providing a new access route to both the site and the A34 south that makes avoidance of the Hagbournes the most desirable option for motorists. A proposal to upgrade/redevelop the existing Hagbourne Hill route was opposed by Chilton Parish Council, and ultimately rejected by OCC as unsuitable due to the steep incline. A viable alternative for the Hagbournes might be a link road from the roundabout near the entrance to the Harwell site joining the A417 near the Kingswell where it could cross the A34 bridge and link to the proposed Harwell /Hagbournes bypass. OCC still has to be persuaded of the necessity of building a new road in the Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Crucially, the Rowstock improvements recommended by the SCOTS report would also require a new road in the AONB but the report’s proposal would not reduce traffic through West Hagbourne.

It is also very important to consider the implications of a proposed southern bypass for Didcot. This could potentially increase traffic through West Hagbourne but even more so through East Hagbourne, as it could be used to avoid an increasingly congested town centre. It would also offer potential access for further development to the south of Didcot.

Comments about the road network should be fed to OCC as soon as possible as they are about to start modelling new routes. If you want your suggestion to be considered, get onto them now.

SODC’s Core Strategy
SODC’s newly published Core Strategy, which covers the period up to 2026, proposes that most of their additional housing (1,430 homes) in Didcot should be towards the North East, using the existing Northern perimeter road for access. They must also find a site for a further 450 homes and are exploring whether these should also go to the north-east or whether they should be a southern extension to Great Western Park. If this southern option were chosen by SODC, the Vale DC has said they might develop that part of their district which lies south of the B4493.

It is vital that as many people as possible tell SODC what they think of this strategy; what is good and what is bad. The strength of opinion in these local consultations is growing, and as these plans are likely to affect the village and the parish of West Hagbourne as a whole, it is important that you make your voice heard.

What you can do
The Parish Council will continue to lobby both the District and County Councils to protect our village and its heritage as an ancient settlement. It will press hard for a road infrastructure that solves the traffic issues which are damaging the fabric of the conservation area and disrupting the peaceful enjoyment of the village by its residents. Parishioners can also play an important part in this process. By engaging with OCC and SODC consultations parishioners can help ensure the outcome will be influenced in our favour. You can also email or write to your Councillors, Parish, District or County, or your MP, and ask for your views to be taken into account.

Please ensure your local District & County Councillor Patrick Greene is aware of your views too. His email address is
Patrick.Greene@southoxon.gov.uk

Click here to view the background document on Didcot.

Click here to view further details of SODC Core Strategy document.

Click here to download a pdf of the Core Strategy Preferred Options

Click here to download a pdf of SODC's comment form

Click here to open an emailable comment form

Click here to view the Vale of White Horse Core Strategy.

Harwell Parish Council has issued a very good overview document giving its views on how it would be affected by the next stage of growth, that post Great West Park. It has similar worries, though in the period to 2026 it is threatened by the largest single allocation of housing. Click here to view this document