Planning Application Details

The proposed development would lie between the single dwellings at Park Meadow Farmhouse and Park Meadow Cottage, which are both set several metres back from the site boundaries and have lower ridge heights. The proposed dwellings would be positioned much closer to their site boundaries. This, in conjunction with their greater height and depth would be out of keeping with the lower density development on either side. As such, the proposal would be out of character with its immediate surroundings and would be in conflict with Policies DES1 and DES2 of the South Oxfordshire Local Plan 2035 and Policies H6 and ESDQ16 of the Thame Neighbourhood Plan and advice contained within the Joint Design Guide 2022.

The southernmost proposed dwelling would project almost entirely in front of Park Meadow Farmhouse alongside, what is the main garden area of that property. The extended northern elevation of Park Meadow Farmhouse would project almost entirely parallel to the rear garden of the southernmost plot at a distance of around 3 metres. The northernmost proposed dwelling would be close to the garden boundary with Park Meadow Cottage, in the direct line of sight from the south-facing windows of that dwelling. This would result in a poor relationship between the existing and proposed dwellings, giving rise to a loss of light, outlook and at least a perception of overlooking. As such, the proposal would fail to comply with the provisions of Policy DES6 of the South Oxfordshire Local Plan 2035.

The proposed development lacks any visibility splays showing the impact of street furniture upon visibility splays for the proposed access. No 'visitor only' parking has been provided, which is likely to result in vehicles parking off site indiscriminately and or obstructively within the vicinity. No turning opportunity has been provided for larger vehicles such as emergency, delivery and or refuse vehicles accessing the site. This is likely to result in a large vehicle having to reverse out of the site onto a busy, classified road. These would increase the risk to highway safety and to other users of the highway within the vicinity of the site. As such, the proposal would be contrary to the aims and objectives of TRANS5 of the South Oxfordshire Local Plan 2035.

The proposed development would involve roughly 50% of the site being lost to built development. It is also proposed to remove the mature hedgerow, a priority habitat, from the front of the site. The application contains no survey of ecological constraints and no proposed mitigation and/or biodiversity offsetting. As such, the proposal would result in in a net loss of biodiversity, contrary to Policy ENV3 of the South Oxfordshire Local Plan 2035.

The proposed development including the proposed bin store/cycle storage and the three southernmost parking spaces would be located within the root protection area of the protected horse chestnut trees and the works to construct these aspects of the proposal would be likely to have an adverse impact on these trees. The trees have significant amenity value making an important contribution to the character of the area and the proposed development will have a negative impact on the contribution that the trees make. The trees have sufficient arboricultural quality to be considered a constraint to the proposed development. The proposed parking spaces would also be located underneath the canopy of the trees and would therefore lead to a significant foreseeable future pressure from the residents to prune or remove these trees, due to the nuisance from leaves and conkers falling on the cars parked below. As such, the proposal would be contrary to Policies ENV1, DES1 and DES2 of the South Oxfordshire Local Plan 2035, advice contained within the Joint Design Guide 2022 and BS 5837, 2012.

The submitted energy statement contains insufficient detail to demonstrate compliance with the carbon and greenhouse emission reduction aims and objectives of Policy DES10 of the South Oxfordshire Local Plan 2035.