Oxfordshire Cotswolds garden village: Eynsham councillor's plea

The latest round of exhibitions for the Oxfordshire Cotswolds Garden Village, set to be built north of the A40, ended on Friday.

The development could include up to two primary schools, cultural, recreation and shopping facilities and a new science park.

In the past year, West Oxfordshire District Council and Grosvenor Developments, which represents the landowners, has held several 'community forum' events regarding the garden village.

But Eynsham Parish Council chairman, Gordon Beach, maintains residents' voices are not being heard.

He said: “The reality is, we’ve been in this process for the last two years and residents’ views haven’t been taken into consideration.

"Grosvenor appear more receptive and there's some hope that this will lead to more views being taken into consideration."

The latest community events included a meeting at Eynsham Scout Hall on Saturday, May 18, followed by a four-day exhibition at the district council's offices in Witney last week.

Mr Beach could not attend the meeting but said he understood it was 'fractious', while Carl Rylett, district councillor for Eynsham and Cassington, claimed on Twitter that Witney MP Robert Courts 'appeared at the meeting but did not step inside'.

The MP did not respond to a request for comment.

Many Eynsham residents have spoken out against the garden village since it was given the green light in 2017.

Last July, the Eynsham Planning Improvement Campaign group ‘closed’ the A40 with a protest to highlight concerns that the road would become the centre of 'Eynsham town' if the development went ahead.

Mr Beach is concerned about how the A40 would 'dovetail' with the garden village, despite £180m of upgrades, including a park-and-ride, planned for the road.

He said: “It needs to meet our needs for the next 20 to 30 years, not just the next five or 10 years.”

West Oxfordshire District Council is currently compiling an Area Action Plan to set out how to build the garden village, with the aim of starting construction in 2021.

This will include two public consultations later this year, including one on the final action plan this winter.

Garden Village programme manager Andrea Clenton said: “We understand peoples’ current frustrations and their concerns surrounding pressure on the existing infrastructure such as roads as well as the local environment.

“Having listened to multiple viewpoints, we will deliver a Garden Village Action Plan that will ensure delivery of a sustainable planning and management vision that combines interconnected green spaces, a multi-modal transport system and mixed use, flexible development.”

The garden village is a key part of West Oxfordshire's Local Plan, which sets out how the district can achieve economic growth and meet its target of 15,950 new homes between 2011 and 2031.