Planning Application Details

That the site lies within the Oxford Green Belt, where there is a general presumption against new development in order to conserve the special and historic character of the City and to preserve the countryside outside it. The proposal does not fall within any of the permitted types of development as listed under para's 89 and 90 of the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) 2012 given that the existing buildings and land are within agricultural use (i.e not previously developed land) and that the development goes beyond simply the re-use of existing buildings. The development therefore constitutes inappropriate development which is, by definition, harmful to the Green Belt and should not be approved except in very special circumstances. No very special circumstances exist to outweigh this harm and the development is therefore contrary to Policies CSR1 and CSEN2 of the South Oxfordshire Core Strategy and to the policies of the National Planning Policy Framework 2012.

The erection of a new single storey range in the place of the demolished buildings, coupled with the intervention required to retain the existing buildings, would constitute a large amount of new development and alteration on this site for a new use. That development would radically change the character of the site to one of a more suburban nature which would serve to erode the landscape setting of the village and the rural quality that makes such an important contribution to the character and appearance of this part of the Garsington Conservation Area. The development is therefore contrary to Policies C4 and CON7 of the South Oxfordshire Local Plan 2011, to Policy CSEN3 of the South Oxfordshire Core Strategy 2012 and to the policies of the National Planning Policy Framework 2012.

That the stone building is identified as a significant non-designated heritage asset in the submitted Heritage Asset Statement. The National Planning Policy Framework places importance on non-designated heritage assets (paragraph 135). The development proposals fail to retain important historic fixtures within the existing stone building and lean-to structure and the retention of fixtures within these buildings that refer to their historic agricultural use should form part of any potential conversion scheme. Justification for their removal should form part of the application beyond just the record in the heritage statement. The proposal is therefore contrary to Policy CSEN3 of the South Oxfordshire Core Strategy 2012 and to the policies of the National Planning Policy Framework 2012.