PARENTS have welcomed a decision to turn down plans for new homes near a school and nursery in Witney.

There were 60 objections to the plans to build 44 flats, in two buildings, on the site of Astall House, in Curbridge Road.

Residents had said they believed the new build would make the nearby road more dangerous.

Planning committee members at West Oxfordshire District Council decided on Monday to refuse the application on the grounds of style and design, West Oxfordshire district councillor for Ducklington ward Ben Woodruff, who has children at the school and a nearby nursery, attended the meeting and said the right decision was made.

He rounded up local residents the week before the meeting, to campaign against the plans, as he believed the development would make the road too busy, posing a risk for children at Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Primary School.

Mr Woodruff said: “I think common sense prevailed.

“Safety must be put before all other elements of the planning application.

“Councillors also seemed to have issues with the design itself, as it was not in keeping with the local area.

“It is a three storey, flat roof building in an area with regular three-bedroom houses. The right decision was made.”

In June last year 14-year-old schoolgirl Liberty Baker was killed while walking along Curbridge Road to Henry Box School, when a car mounted the kerb and ploughed into her.

She was a former pupil of Our Lady of Lourdes.

The driver of the car that hit her, 19-year-old Robert Blackwell, was given a four-year prison sentence after admitting causing death by dangerous driving.