Oxfordshire village retirement flats plans refused

Applicant Brendon O’Neill applied for the scheme, which includes 29 retirement flats on the site of the former police station in Hensington Road, Woodstock.

West Oxfordshire District Council planning officers refused the scheme using delegated powers. 

The plan had received objections from Woodstock Town Council and 32 members of the public. 

They cited reasons such as the need for a new GP surgery instead, potential harm to neighbours and insufficient car parking. 

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Woodstock retirement flats CGI (Image: WODC) The town council said: “The proposal looks like it is an overdevelopment of the site with many small apartments and due to this overdevelopment, there appears to be limited room available for parking with less than one car parking space per apartment. 

“This lack of parking could mean that additional pressure is placed on the neighbouring public car park, which is always at capacity and always has cars parking on the entrance road to the police station site. 

“There is a strong possibility that the public car park may be used as an overspill carpark for the proposal and this will increase pressure on an already limited supply of parking in the town.”

In the district council’s decision report, it said: “The proposed development, by reason of its scale, amount, massing and design would result in an overly bulky, cramped and contrived form of development which represents an over-development of the site and fails to respect local character and distinctiveness. It would also have a harmful overbearing and overlooking impact on the occupants of neighbouring dwellings along Bear Close.”

It added: “Further, the development would have an adverse impact on the setting of heritage assets (including the Woodstock Conservation Area and nearby listed and non-designated heritage assets along Union Street). This would lead to a medium level of ‘less than substantial’ harm to the setting and significance of the assets which is not outweighed by public benefits.

“The benefits associated with the provision of 29 retirement apartments and the statutory Biodiversity Net Gain are afforded moderate weight given the scale of the development and the modest contribution that these houses would make to the overall housing land supply shortfall and local need for specialist housing for older people. 

“Turning to the wider planning balance as directed by paragraph 11d of the NPPF, the adverse impacts of granting planning permission with regard to the impact on the protected heritage assets, and the character and appearance of the area, alongside the adverse impacts on neighbours would significantly and demonstrably outweigh the benefits.”