Planning Application Details

One of the aims of the South Oxfordshire Core Strategy is to strengthen the role of the larger villages such as Wheatley as smaller service centres. The purpose of this strategy is to increase the economic and social linkages between nearby communities and reduce the need to travel. The proposed development would result in the loss of a retail unit in the Wheatley village centre which would undermine the vitality of the business centre and result in a progressive weakening of its role in supporting surrounding smaller villages. This would be contrary to the philosophy of the South Oxfordshire Core Strategy 2027 and saved policy E6 of the South Oxfordshire Local Plan 2011.

The proposal would result in a cramped form of residential development with front windows immediately adjacent to the pavement and parked cars and with substandard rear gardens providing little privacy. This would result in a poor quality living environment detrimental to the residential amenity of occupants contrary to saved policies D3 and D4 of the South Oxfordshire Local Plan and Design Guide advice.

The proposed development has no allocated parking. Parking is limited in the village centre and the existing shops and other commercial outlets rely on the available on road parking for their customers. The development is likely to result in a demand for parking of potentially 4 cars resulting in an overall reduction in the amount of parking available for commercial uses which will undermine the economic vitality of the village centre. The lack of available parking for the dwellings is also likely to lead to inappropriate parking by residents in restricted areas contrary to saved policies D2, and T2 of the South Oxfordshire Local Plan 2011.