Housing developments 'dumped on Grove' (From The Oxford Times)

Housing developments 'dumped on Grove'

5:10pm Wednesday 18th April 2012 in Wantage

LOCAL politicians say massive housing developments are being “dumped” on Grove to ensure home building targets across the Vale are hit.

Up to 900 extra homes have now been earmarked for the north of the village after a review of long-term housing plans for the district.

Vale of White Horse District Council needs to find space for 6,293 homes over the next 15 years and has already said 2,500 will be built on Grove Airfield.

Last month it said another 700-900 homes could be built on land at Monk’s Farm. As there are currently 3,100 households in Grove, the village’s population will more than double if both developments go ahead.

Frank Parnell, chairman of Grove Parish Council, last night said it knew nothing of the Monk’s Farm site until the draft core strategy was published in March.

He said: “We are annoyed the district council seemed to slip it in without informing us.

“It is going to completely change the character. It will be a completely different place. It’s just going to be a large town with no town infrastructure.

“It will become a dormitory village – huge great housing estates with nothing else there.”

He added: “We don’t have the infrastructure, we don’t have the facilities.

“Yet we are again being dumped on as the easy option.”

Roger Cox, Vale’s cabinet member for planning, insisted: “With these developments come shops and everything else.”