It’s time for a planning update again.
There are a number of major applications around Wantage and Grove at various stages of development.
The largest development in this area will be Grove Airfield with outline planning consent for 2,500 homes.
The detailed application has been submitted for the first 191 homes but there are a number of conditions which must be met by the developers before this can be approved including some from the Environment Agency.
They may start building next year.
Crab Hill has outline planning consent for 1,500 homes and received approval for the detailed design for the first 70 homes (behind the cricket pitch) at the planning committee meeting last week.
One resident from Whitehorns Farm Road objected eloquently to the promised 5m buffer strip being part of gardens and the footpath through to Charlton from the development going through the children's play area in Whitehorns Farm Road.
The Town Council had objected to the application, but although Councillor St John Dickson was at the meeting he did not say anything to support the objection. This was the only application of the evening where no local councillor spoke to object to an application. Councillor Mabbett did not even attend the meeting but had not sent apologies.
The developments north of Grove on Monks Farm are being applied for in chunks.
The first site for 133 homes is being built at the moment and the detailed plans for the second site (behind the garage) for 75 homes were approved a year ago.
The detailed application has been recently submitted for the next 160 homes near Williams F1.
The outline application for permission for up to 456 dwellings north of Grove Primary School was submitted last year and has not yet been decided. We believe this is because Network Rail have objected to the development due to its proximity to the pedestrian level crossings which are close to the site.
A total of 885 homes on Monks Farm were included in Local Plan Part 1, but Local Plan Part 2 proposes a further 400 homes before 2031 and more afterwards.
Stockham Park Farm (three applications totalling 380 homes) is still being built.
The detailed applications for 88 homes on Park Farm Challow and 38 on the Highways Depot site next door are under consideration.
More than 700 homes have already been built around Wantage and Grove and more applications keep coming but when will the infrastructure for all these people be built?