‘Allow this development and countryside will fall like set of dominoes’

PLANS to build 25 homes in Lower Shiplake have been refused.

L Wilson wanted to develop the land behind Audley Shiplake Meadows, which is to the north of New Road.

South Oxfordshire District Council’s planning committee rejected the plans, saying it would impact the rural setting and contradict policies in the Shiplake neighbourhood plan and the district council’s local plan.

The committee also agreed the site has unsuitable infrastructure and transport links for potential residents.

Plans were also refused based on a failure to secure affordable housing and infrastructure and to provide 10 per cent biodiversity net gain.

The district council’s planning officer, Phil Moule, had recommended the plans be approved.

He said: “With a relatively limited harm that will ensue from the proposed development — residual localised harm to the rural setting of Lower Shiplake — weighed against the benefit of contributing to the council shortfall of affordable housing supply and delivery of affordable housing, it is your officer’s view that, on this occasion, the benefits of this scheme outweigh the harm.”

But Chris Penrose, who chairs Shiplake Parish Council, told the committee meeting on Wednesday that the development did not constitute “infill”.

He said: “This application would undermine neighbourhood planning in all our districts if this was to go ahead and approval would erode public trust and devalue all neighbourhood plans in South Oxfordshire and open up open countryside and non-infill locations to development.”

Karen Cooper, who lives near the proposed site, told the committee she was speaking on behalf of the
96 houses in Shiplake who objected to the plans.

She said the planning officer’s recommendation to approve the application despite its contradictions with policies in the local and neighbourhood plans came as a “shock” to residents.

Ms Cooper said residents had put their “faith and trust” in the plan and were confident the planning application would be rejected.

She highlighted concerns around the lack of accessibility of the area, which lies some distance from the village and lacks footpaths.

Ms Cooper said: “Views to the national landscape seem to be swept aside as unimportant. The harm caused to the countryside setting, highlighted by a previous appeals inspector as a reason for refusal, have not been given any weight.”

Cllr Leigh Rawlins, who represents Shiplake, said plans that contradict neighbourhood plans should “almost always” be rejected.

He added: “This application is not infill, it is in the open countryside and starkly outside the explicit built limit set out in the Shiplake neighbourhood plan.

“If this clarity is not respected here today, then all neighbourhood plans across the whole district become virtually worthless.

“Shiplake is a small settlement and was never identified for allocation growth in any local plan. Yet it has been hammered by sprawling speculative development. The belief was that once the neighbourhood plan was made, all that would stop.

“The alternative is that one development after another sprawls into the open countryside like a set of dominoes falling one after another.”

Councillor Ken Arlett, for Henley, spoke in favour of the application, calling it “excellent”.

He added: “We’ve all got neighbourhood plans, we’ve all had to suffer for one thing or another in numbers, but has it really affected us? I would say the answer is no. So will definitely vote against the proposal for refusal.”

Councillor Ben Higgins, who represents Watlington, said the plan should be rejected. He said: “I think the point was very well made about the risk of undercutting [neighbourhood] plans everywhere.”

Speaking after the meeting, Cllr Penrose said: “It should be clear now that the Shiplake community and its representatives can organise effectively to fight this kind of application. However, while this first victory feels good now, it is unlikely to be the end of this particular planning war.”