ABINGDON Town Council is to hire an expert to help it fight a controversial housing estate.

Councillors have said they are “horrified” by Taylor Wimpey’s plans to double the number of four-bedroom homes on the proposed estate off Drayton Road.

The developer has also raised the height of a number of buildings.

But rather than submit a new planning application, it altered its existing one already lodged with Vale of White Horse District Council.

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Councillor Alice Badcock said: “I’m absolutely horrified, they increased the number of four-bedroom houses from 23 to about 50 “If they increase the number of bedrooms we will have larger families, and if you have three children over the age of 17 under one roof they could all have cars. That’s going to affect the amount of traffic and water waste.

“We have agreed to have a planning consultant to make sure our response is as accurate as possible to get an accurate idea of how many extra people and cars those homes would generate.”

The move is the latest in a long history of controversy over the estate.

Sheffield-based Hallam Land Management applied to build 160 homes at the site in 2012.

It was opposed by councillors, residents and Oxford West and Abingdon MP Nicola Blackwood, largely on grounds it would create too much traffic.

Vale of White Horse District Council’s planning committee refused the plan in 2013 on the grounds it would cause “unacceptable” amounts of traffic.

The company appealed against the decision and won, but only on the condition that it pay for two new pedestrian crossings on Ock Street and Marcham Road.

However, Oxfordshire County Council member for transport, David Nimmo Smith, rejected the crossing plan in March, halting the whole scheme.

Taylor Wimpey submitted a new planning application to build 159 homes on the site in May, then legally challenged Mr Nimmo Smith’s decision on the crossings.

He re-examined it and made a u-turn, granting permission for the crossings, but then the council’s scrutiny committee “called in” that decision to be looked at again at a cabinet meeting.

Taylor Wimpey spokeswoman Abby Davies said: “Our scheme contains 456 bedrooms in total, but the [original Hallam] scheme had 470.

“This reduction in bedrooms by 14 will mean the impact of traffic will be reduced.

“Thames Water has confirmed that the local sewerage network can accommodate the development scheme.”


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