Plans submitted to build 57 homes at pump firm site

PLANS have been submitted to build 57 homes on the site of a pump manufacturer in Henley.

The Green Regeneration Property Company, of London, purchased Empstead Works, off Greys Road, from Henley Enterprise Park in January.

Stuart Turner, one of the town’s largest employers, has been based at the site for more than 100 years.

Green Regeneration has now applied for planning permission to build 46 houses, 10 with two bedrooms, 18 with three bedrooms and 18 with four bedrooms and 11 two-bedroom maisonettes.

The application, which involves the demolition of all existing buildings on the site, also allocates 2,055 sq m of space for non-residential uses including commercial, retail and a nursery space.

A central green square of about 1,050 sq m and equipped play provision of 1,016 sq m would be added for public use.

New “landscaped pedestrian zones” would be introduced, linking Greys Road, Market Place and Deanfield Avenue and vehicular access would remain in Greys Road.

A corner of the northern end of the site would be planted with fruit trees to provide a community orchard.

The listed burgage plots in Market Place are outside the application boundary and will be preserved. The developer says the new buildings will draw on the Georgian and Victorian terraces which characterise the town.

A signposted heritage trail would be a feature of the site, connecting a series of assets, such as an historic ditch and listed flint stone house.

Among the proposals are a total of 41 car park spaces, all of which would have electric vehicle charging provision. There would be two accessible parking spaces on the site.

The site is allocated in the joint Henley and Harpsden neighbourhood plan for about 42 homes as well as at least 3,000 sq m for “town centre mixed uses” including employment and 1,500 sq m for a single format food store.

The developer says that the proposed redevelopment will transform an “underutilised brownfield site” into a “thriving, sustainable and well-connected new neighbourhood”, which would also meet local needs and “enhance the town’s distinctive character”.

It has proposed that the six maisonettes would be “affordable homes” for first-time buyers with prices capped at £250,000.

At 11 per cent, it falls short of the target of 40 per cent provision of affordable housing in the neighbourhood plan. The company said this is because of a “significant shortfall” in the residual value of the site compared to its existing use value.

According to the application, there is “limited appetite” for social rented and intermediate home ownership products on small scales as registered providers face rising energy costs and cladding remediation on current estates.

In January, the Henley Standard reported that Stuart Turner, which employs about 80 people and currently occupies the site, would be seeking to relocate when its lease ends in 2027.

Henley Town Council provided feedback on an early proposal last October, after which letters were sent to neighbouring properties in January inviting them to a six-week public consultation held online, which received responses from 61 residents.

The latest plans are still to be discussed by the town council’s planning committee.

Two residents have sent written objections to South Oxfordshire District Council, the planning authority.

Jacqueline McLean, of Wilkins Court, said the proposals would add pressure to the town’s infrastructure.

She said: “I am also deeply concerned about the additional traffic this development would generate in an area that is already subject to significant congestion.”

Caroline Whittaker, of Empstead Court, said she was concerned about damage to an existing retaining wall at the back of her property and overlooking.

She said: “The proposed units looking on to me will overlook and take light from my property. I have the usual concerns regarding the number of units requested, the damage to the environment and the lack of parking in a town which is already struggling.”

The district council is due to make a decision by January 6.