New village homes approved after appeal

A developer has been given the go-ahead to build more than 100 homes in an Oxfordshire village following an appeal.

Catesby Strategic Land Limited was told it could build up to 134 homes on land south of Burford Road in Minster Lovell after it appealed to the Planning Inspectorate.

West Oxfordshire District Council (WODC) refused to give the development permission in 2023 but agreed, during a hearing in February, that it should be allowed.

Planning inspector Kevin Ward said he was aware of the "strength and depth of opposition to the proposed development from local residents and other interested parties".

Minster Lovell’s parish council said the homes would have a "very detrimental impact" on the village's "distinctive character and setting".

Mr Ward also concluded WODC could not demonstrate a five-year housing land supply.

Authorities should be able to show they have a deliverable supply of new homes for at least five years under the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF).

Alternatively, they should be able to show at least a four-year supply if it is preparing a local plan to outline where it wants developments to go.

WODC is currently working on its 2041 local plan, which it hopes will be examined and approved by a planning inspector next year.

The council argued it had a supply for 5.4 years but Mr Ward said it had a 4.4-year supply.

A WODC spokesperson said the authority was “disappointed” with that assessment.

They added: “We have worked hard to ensure that houses are being built but the progress of developers on some of our larger sites has been very slow and outside of our control.

“We will continue to work closely with the developers of the sites where the inspector felt they are not moving fast enough to deliver the required homes.”

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