Update – 11 May 2023

Planning application for Water Eaton (PR6a) submitted.

Bellway Homes and Christ Church have submitted an outline planning application for Water Eaton (PR6a) to Cherwell District Council
Water Eaton will bring new homes a primary school, local centre, cycle and pedestrian routes and high-quality green spaces, including an extension to Cutteslowe Park
The submission follows extensive engagement on the proposals and vision for the site including the Enquiry by Design and several rounds of public consultation

Bellway Homes and Christ Church have submitted a planning application to Cherwell District Council for the Water Eaton site, which is allocated for development in the Cherwell Local Plan Partial Review (Policy PR6a).

The development of Water Eaton will help meet Oxford’s urgent need for housing. Fifty per cent of the homes will be affordable, with a range of tenures and sizes of homes to suit different needs. The development will serve and provide facilities for both the existing and new residents and will include a community building, cafe and restaurant for public use.

High-quality green spaces will also be provided on site, delivering a net gain in biodiversity and areas for recreation and children's play.

The application for Water Eaton includes:

Up to 800 new homes, designed to complement the surrounding areas of Oxford, Kidlington and Cherwell.
A primary school catering for local residents.
Local Centre for retail, business and professional uses, including a cafe or restaurant and community building.
Open public green spaces with play areas, allotments and landscaping.
A cycle route through the site linking the Park & Ride and the Parkway station to Oxford and Cutteslowe Park.
A bus lane at Oxford Road, and segregated pedestrian and cycle routes suitable for commuting to Oxford city centre.
Flood water storage ponds located in green spaces.

The submission of the planning application follows four stages of consultation with the public and key stakeholders, which has helped to guide the site’s design.

The planning application has now been validated by Cherwell District Council, and the council is running a consultation on the plans before reached a decision. The consultation is open until 9 June 2023.

The application has been submitted in ‘outline’. This means that detailed plans will be submitted to Cherwell District Council as part of Reserved Matters applications at a later stage in the process.

Fergus Thomas, Bellway (Strategic Land Director – Central Region) said:

“Bellway Homes acquired the site from Christ Church in September 2022 following four stages of consultation, the first in autumn 2021. This winter we held a final stage of consultation, which gave us an opportunity to meet with people to discuss our plans.

Bellway Homes and Christ Church have now submitted an outline planning application for the development to Cherwell District Council. Water Eaton is the product of huge amounts of work and engagement to help us create the best possible scheme, with high-quality homes and a variety of green spaces built into the site's design. The stewardship of Water Eaton is also very important to us and Christ Church will continue to be involved in the management of the community areas and green spaces.

We'd like to thank everyone who's been involved over the last two years. The feedback people have provided during the process has influenced the design of Water Eaton, helping to create a scheme that will deliver much needed new homes in a sustainable location along with a range of complementary facilities."

The outline application can be viewed and commented on using the link: https://planningregister.cherwell.gov.uk/Planning/Display/23/01233/OUT#undefined

The deadline for comments is 9 June 2023.

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