ARMSTRONG RIGG PLANNING

Didcot Garden Town

Site: Land at Lady Grove, Didcot

Client: Manor Oak Homes

Didcot Garden Town

On behalf of Manor Oak Homes, ARP was able to secure consent following an appeal for up to 176-dwellings and a new linear county park on a highly-constrained site on the eastern edge of Didcot Garden Town.

The site, comprising approximately 15ha of land, was acquired under option by Manor Oak Homes in 2019 with the initial intention to promote it towards the various emerging spatial strategies in production in both South Oxfordshire and across the County as part of the Oxfordshire Growth Deal. On review of the Council’s ambitious aspirations for Didcot itself, however, which was awarded Garden Town status in 2015 and cemented as one of the district’s growth points, it became clear that it may comprise a shorter-term opportunity for new homes.

The site was not allocated and there was no clear presumption towards it achieving permission for new homes. A clear demonstration of the way in which it would meet the challenging housing targets for both Didcot and South Oxfordshire was key, along with a meticulous approach to design and the protection of key landscape features on the site. 

Whilst the site was refused by the Council on the grounds of conflict with the development plan, landscape impact (including on the AONB), design, and impact on trees the subsequent appeal was successful. 

Crucially, the inspector concluded the following:

  • Fundamentally, the inspector supported our argument that the Council could not demonstrate a robust supply of housing land.
  • Resultant of a detailed assessment of affordable housing delivery across South Oxfordshire it was concluded that the contribution of 60 affordable units on site would help meet a significant deficit;
  • Then, it was agreed that the meticulous design work that had been undertaken during the course of both the application and, within acceptable moderation, the appeal itself was sufficient to ensure the scheme accorded with the Garden Town principles but more importantly avoided harm to the AONB; and
  • Lastly, and as argued by ARP, that the location of the site actually ensured that it in part complied with the spatial strategy of the adopted local plan, thus limiting the conflict alleged by the Council.
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