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Hands off Hanwell and the surrounding countryside!

Hanwell is no stranger to the large-scale housing developments that now surround the historic ironstone village to the south. But this time it's different. 

There is now a real possibility that Hanwell could be swallowed by housing developments, becoming a suburb of Banbury and losing its rural village identity if developers and landowners continue to get their way.

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As well as being consumed by housing developments, Elgin Energy now also wants to build a large-scale industrial solar factory to the north of Hanwell village between Shotteswell and Horley. This ‘solar farm’ – as developers prefer to cosily call it – would be on prime agricultural land and well within sight of villages like Horley, Great Bourton, and even Mollington further afield. Like the Vistry plot to our south, this solar monstrosity would be just one field north of Hanwell and about the same distance south of Shotteswell in Warwickshire. Read more on this below!

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The ‘Keep Hanwell Village Rural’ action group was originally formed as a result of the Vistry/Bovis developments off Warwick Rd and new housing proposals north of Dukes Meadow Drive, and is made up of residents in Hanwell and neighbouring villages, including Horley, Shotteswell, Drayton and The Bourtons. 

 

We aim to keep fighting the fight to protect our countryside, village identities, wildlife and farming from the kind of piecemeal developments that we and many other villages in this area and beyond are constantly being bombarded with. Enough is enough!

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October 2022.  Residents gather to protect their village's identity and farmed landscape.

Vast solar factory proposed between
Hanwell and Shotteswell

As well as being swallowed by housing developments – including the ridiculously close Vistry housing project east of Warwick Road that was inexplicably allowed by Government Planning Inspector Dominic Young – the same landowner of the fields around Hanwell (Earl de la Warr, a so-called champion of farming) also wishes to sell a vast swathe of prime agricultural land to Elgin Energy for the purposes of an enormous and highly-visible 74.7 hectare industrial solar factory to the north of Hanwell between Shotteswell and Horley. 

 

This excessively huge solar development would be right in the middle of a large swathe of beautiful countryside and equivalent in size to 18 Wembley stadiums, and most of it will be on prime Grade 2 and Grade 3a agricultural land which the local farmer wishes to continue farming. We’re talking an outrageous 74.7 hectares of fertile land with scattered woodlands that are regularly frequented by deer, bats, pollinators and other invaluable wildlife, plus a further 32.1ha for the ancillaries. Although the applicant claims that only 43.5% of the proposal site is Best and Most Versatile agricultural land, 43.5% of 74.7ha is still 32.5ha of our best quality farmland that would be taken out of agricultural use. And we can ill afford to lose such vast swathes of agricultural land in this day and age.

 

This is not the first time we’ve heard from Elgin. The company first mooted a solar factory on the same fields back in March 2023 when representatives came to Hanwell Village Hall for a public consultation that didn’t go down well with the vast majority of residents. Then it all went silent until just recently when we heard that Elgin have re-submitted an application to Cherwell District Council regarding a Screening Opinion for a Proposed Solar Farm and Ancillary development that relates to the same tract of land.

 

Keep Hanwell Village Rural action group has since submitted a Request for Screening Opinion in relation to this proposal, asserting that ‘CDC must require an EIA (Environmental Impact Assessment) with the proposed outline planning application’. 

 

We all agree that green energy is the way forward but this proposed industrial solar factory is clearly too expansive and in the wrong place.

 

We will keep you posted on any further developments the moment we hear any new news. In the meantime, please follow our main KHVR Facebook group and our new Keep Ironstone Villages Rural group.

Hanwell Parish Council and KHVR submit opinions on Reserved Matters regarding Vistry development

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In other news, Keep Hanwell Village Rural and Hanwell Parish Council are continuing their combined fight relating to the allowed housing development on land east of Warwick Road. KHVR fought hard against this proposal for 170 new homes on a parcel of land that is beyond the wide boundary between Banbury and Hanwell, alas to no avail. But more on that below in our Archived News section.

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Only very recently, Hanwell Parish Council and the KHVR action group submitted their opinions on Reserved Matters regarding this future Vistry development. We are adamant that Vistry (owner of Bovis Homes) must adhere to any reserved matters the Council brings forward and, from our point of view, this includes the protection of ancient hedging along Warwick Road, addressing the insignificant tree line between the Vistry plot and the western edge of Hanwell village, access to the future building site and its impact on residents, no increase in the density of housing already outlined by Vistry and minimum of disruption to road traffic. We also insist that Vistry steers clear of ‘naming the new development after any of the neighbouring villages, including Hanwell, Drayton and Horley’.

 

We are still reeling from the sad sight of many metres of ancient hedgerow being unnecessarily annihilated along the Warwick Road by Bovis for its Roman Fields development, and we are determined to not see that happen again.

Archived News (2023-2024)

Vistry wins appeal to build 170 new homes on Grade 2 agricultural land
 

Keep Hanwell Village Rural along with many other Parish Councils fought hard against Vistry’s proposal for 170 new homes on a parcel of land that is beyond the wide boundary between Banbury and Hanwell, and we successfully convinced the Council to object on several grounds. But, as is the way in an increasingly non-democratic world, Vistry appealed to the Government Planning Inspectorate and the company’s appeal was allowed by planning inspector Dominic Young. The inspector also decided not to show an explanatory video KHVR made specifically for the Public Inquiry. The video above perfectly illustrated our side of the argument using aerial footage and sage words from a number of professionals. Yet the inspector refused to have it shown. Go figure.

Battle to keep Hanwell village rural continues as developer appeals against Council's planning rejection 

Developer Vistry Group has launched an appeal following Cherwell District Council's decision last summer to refuse planning for 170 houses on fields between Hanwell and Banbury.

Cherwell District Council’s Planning Committee unanimously voted against the outline planning application by Vistry Group that would have joined Banbury with the village of Hanwell.

The planning application received over 480 objections from local residents in Hanwell and in Banbury.

The Keep Hanwell Village Rural Action Group are calling upon residents to now resubmit their objections to the Planning Inspectorate by Thursday 21 March 2024 using the following link here
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Use this code on the Planning Inspectorate website: 3338211

Chris Brant, Chair of the Action Group says: "T
he decision by the Council to refuse planning was very clear. From the threat of coalescence with Hanwell, harm to character and appearance of open countryside and the heritage setting of Hanwell Conservation Area. Cherwell District Council has been able to demonstrate the required 5-year housing land supply and these large-scale housing developments being built outside of the town are not meeting the needs of the wider community".

Cllr Cat Reid, Hanwell Parish Council says; "On behalf of the Parish Council and village residents we are extremely disappointed and concerned by Vistry’s decision to appeal. There are clearly more appropriate sites, as identified through the Local Plan process, and it is apparent the developer does not care about the strength of local opinion and the potential damage to hundreds of years of heritage that this proposal would cause".


 

Councillors vote unanimously in rejecting Vistry's Planning Application to build 170 houses between Hanwell and Banbury


 

Keep Hanwell Village Rural's initial video response on hearing about the proposed Vistry development

Last night Councillors of every political group voted unanimously in rejecting Vistry's planning application to build 170 houses on prime agricultural farmland between Hanwell village and Banbury, which could have seen the two settlements join. 

 

The decision was made at Cherwell District Council's Planning Committee Meeting yesterday (10 Aug), where residents from Hanwell, Banbury, Horley, Drayton, Great Bourton and Shotteswell attended in large numbers. The application was met with strong objection with almost 500 letters of objection from residents, parish councils, Banbury Town Council and the local MP Victoria Prentis.

 

The Council's Planning Officer set out the key reasons why members of the committee should reject Vistry's application. This was set out as follows:

 

Cherwell District Council is able to demonstrate a 5-year housing land supply meaning that the relevant development plan policies are up to date. The application site is located within open countryside and is not allocated for development. The proposed development by virtue of its visually prominent position, is such that it would breach Banbury’s contained environmental setting, giving rise to a direct risk of coalescence between Banbury and Hanwell, causing undue visual intrusion into the open countryside, fundamentally changing the undeveloped characteristics of these parcels of open arable land, creating a prominent urban built form, inconsistent with the local character, to the detriment of the rural landscape and the identity and individuality of Hanwell village.

 

The officers report went on to state:

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The proposed development is considered to erode the open arable landscape which provides clear separation between Banbury and Hanwell and forms part of the surroundings within which the setting of Hanwell Conservation Area, St Peter’s Church (Listed Building Grade I) and Hanwell Castle (Listed Building Grade II*) are experienced, to the detriment of and causing harm (less than substantial) to the setting of these designated heritage assets.

 

Chris Brant, Chair of Keep Hanwell Village Rural Action Group addressed members of the committee, speaking on behalf of the Parish Councils of Hanwell, Drayton, Horley, The Bourtons and Shotteswell, as well as Banbury Town Council and Banbury Civic Society.

 

Speaking at the meeting Chris Brant said:

 

"The proposal is totally inappropriate land use.  We have already seen the majority of Banbury’s new housing since 2011 to the north of the town.  The limit of what is acceptable has already been reached. It is an attempt to profiteer from yet more housebuilding, conceived when we did not have a 5 year housing land supply.  However, Cherwell has demonstrated it has sufficient housing land supply.  There is simply no need for housing at this scale on sites not allocated.The proposal site is not allocated in the current Cherwell Local Plan. The proposal is an attempt to ride over the spatial policies of the adopted Local Plan, assault on the open countryside, and ignore the wishes of the people of Cherwell.  

 

Councillors must not underestimate the anger of residents when planning decisions ignore their own Local Plan.Secondly, the proposal would result in unacceptable coalescence between Banbury and Hanwell. The extent of Banbury was considered by the Planning Inspector when the current Cherwell Local Plan was adopted.  The approval of the Banbury 5 housing estate, now known as Hanwell Chase north of Hanwell Fields, was only allowed upon specific conditions.  It is a matter of fact, and public record, that the Inspector, when approving adoption of the Local Plan stated, and I quote: “Development must respect the established green buffer between the [Banbury 5] site and Hanwell village.” “the setting of Hanwell village and Hanwell Conservation Area must be protected.”"

 

Cllr Catriona Reid member for Hanwell Parish Council said:

 

"We would like to thank all members of the planning committee for their unanimous decision in voting down this application which would have seen an end to the rural village identity which is loved by so many inside and outside of the village. The Parish Council would also like to thank all of the hundreds of local residents in Hanwell, neighbouring villages and in Banbury for their time in fighting to save and protect the village and open countryside."

 

Keep Hanwell Village Rural Action Group believes that the Council's decision in refusing planning has put down a very clear marker where the settlements of Hanwell and Banbury begin and end. The Action Group's next focus is to campaign for designation in the next Local Plan to prevent any future violation of the strategic gap of open land between Banbury and Hanwell. As well as fighting to protect prime agricultural farmland and wide open landscape views between the villages of Hanwell, Horley, Shotteswell and Great Bourton as the same landowner is proposing a large scale industrial solar development. 

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How to help

Alert & Ready

Developers like to sneak in planning applications to the Council and before we know it another housing development has been built on agricultural land. Stay alert and be informed by joining the campaign!

Follow & Share

Make sure you are following 'Keep Hanwell Village Rural' On Facebook, Instagram and Twitter!

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Don't forget to LIKE, COMMENT and importantly SHARE every post!

Write & Object

If you're signed up to our mailing list and WhatsApp group we will alert you when and how you can write to the Council and our MP to object!

Fundraise & Give

Please help to fundraise by organising events. Every penny donated to the campaign will be spent on expert advice to Keep Hanwell Village Rural and fight the developers!

Donate

Donate Now

Every penny you donate helps Hanwell to protect it's village identity and rural setting

Your donation will be made to the Keep Hanwell Village Rural Action Group

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Keep Hanwell Village Rural in the News

Action Group Committee Members

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Keep Hanwell Village Rural Action Group

Chair:
Tom Sadler
Vice Chair:  Derek Adams
Treasurer: Tom Sadler
Secretary: Hazel Skiwirzynska

Action Group Committee Members:
Alex Adams
Tony Skwirzynski
Cliff Aitken
Robin Aiken
Kenton Bromby

 

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