We have until 15 June to respond to a new consultation on revised documents submitted to Oxfordshire County Council. DON’T STOP NOW!! If local people do NOT RESPOND, our silence will be taken to indicate there are no objections. We need TWICE as many objections as last time, so please send a link to this update to friends and neighbours who may be unaware of this consultation, and post a link on social media pages.
IT IS ESSENTIAL TO MAKE YOUR VOICE HEARD -IF YOU WANT TO PROTECT WICKLESHAM QUARRY SSSI, FARINGDON AND THE WESTERN VALE - FROM VAST INDUSTRIAL OVERDEVELOPMENT.
The likely impacts of this enormous development on the doorstep of Faringdon and the Western Vale cannot be over-stated. The current planning application must be addressed on the basis of what is being proposed, and its impacts on Faringdon, the landscape of the Midvale Ridge and surrounding countryside, local roads and traffic, and on Faringdon’s internationally famous Site of Special Scientific Interest.
However, you should also be aware that this application is linked to a proposal to build on the whole of Wicklesham Lodge Farm, which has been put forward to the Vale of White Horse District Council. If accepted for inclusion in the Local Plan, this would DOUBLE the size of Faringdon south of the A420. See the earlier update on this here: https://www.change.org/p/the-vale-of-white-horse-district-council-and-secretary-of-state-michael-gove-protect-wicklesham-quarry-from-development/u/32054269 But for now- we must focus on the current proposal.
The revised documents for the Wicklesham Quarry application are fragmented, inconsistent, and long (in one case, 679 pages). Here’s a summary of some of what they contain. You can read them for yourself at OCC’s planning page: https://myeplanning.oxfordshire.gov.uk/Planning/Display/MW.0151/23/#undefined
- Floorspace INCREASED by 4,164 sqM.
The proposals are for an EVEN BIGGER development overall. Although the height of the seven buildings, plus two multi-storey carparks, is reduced by either 5 metres or 7 metres to 18- 20 metres (65 feet) (depending on which document you read) the TOTAL FLOOR AREA is now 46,450 sqm (see Revised Design Code part 1 (1) – Introduction) . This is 4,164 sqm MORE than the previous application.
To compensate for the reduction in height, and add even more floor space than before, the enormous blocks - which would cover almost the whole 29 acre SSSI site – are even bigger, and have been pushed outwards to the maximum possible extent of the quarry base. Most of the drawings (‘illustrative masterplans’ etc) FAIL to show the real size of the building footprints- because they leave out huge ‘Waste Storage’ structures that form part of each building and increase its footprint by at least 30%. When the Waste Storage structures are included –as shown in the drawing above - you can see that every building extends right up to the road that butts onto the ‘ecological buffer’ – a narrow strip between the quarry walls and the road surrounding the buildings (See Revised Design Code Part 2, P. 16).
This means that the ‘front’ of the buildings face each other in the middle of the site. The ‘back’ of the buildings including ‘waste storage’ sections the full length of every building - would be visible from all sides from outside the quarry. Notably, none of the elevation drawings illustrates the true appearance of the buildings shown in the plan above. Although the building heights are reduced they are much larger overall structures, closer to the outside of the quarry- as well as extremely unsightly.
- Entrance to the Quarry – a recipe for CHAOS
The proposed entrance remains in its present location a few yards from the Park Road roundabout on the A420. The applicants propose installing traffic lights on the A420, to allow traffic from the quarry to turn right onto the A420. Traffic coming from S.W. (Swindon) would have to use the roundabout to perform a U turn in order to enter the quarry. This means ALL traffic entering the quarry would come from the N.E, creating inevitable, massive congestion along Park Road and the A420 itself.
The applicants propose to widen the road between Wicklesham Quarry entrance and the roundabout, to allow some cars to queue on an inside lane from the roundabout itself. However, the SW bound carriageway of the A420 leading to the roundabout would not be widened (see Revised Planning, Design and Access Statement Part 2 (2) p.36). Presumably tailbacks down the hill from the A417 or beyond are considered acceptable? And how long would it be before traffic would be queuing from Coxwell Road to Park Road? This is very likely, because already at peak times, traffic backs up from the roundabout as far as Fernham Road.
They propose to site a pedestrian crossing at the entrance point across the A420, which, they say, will also be suitable for cyclists and horse-riders – even though there is no bridleway that connects with this location, and it is surely the last place on earth any sane horse rider would wish to bring their horse.
A footbridge - which many local people feel is already badly needed to re-connect Faringdon with the countryside of Wicklesham, Ringdale, Fernham and little Coxwell – is ruled out, in spite of the fact that local people have lost their lives trying to cross the A420.
- No traffic solutions
A 679 page traffic analysis (Technical Note 2- TA Addendum) of road junctions likely to be affected - required by the Highways Department -grudgingly admits that there are already junction overloads, queues and delays to local traffic at Coxwell Road and Fernham Road junctions, as well as in and around Faringdon. However, it states complacently:
“whilst there are expected to be some capacity issues on the network, these are expected to occur regardless of the development. The A420 through route would not be materially affected by the proposed development.”
Technical Note 3 claims: “The scheme aims at reducing the need for out-commuting to Oxford, the Science Vale, Harwell and Milton Park.”
WE ASK : How many people who live in Faringdon and work in the Science Vale, Harwell and Milton Park do they expect to walk or cycle to work in the Quarry in all weathers? A thousand? Two thousand? More?
- Local views on traffic and parking
The proposed floor space, depending on the uses (which now include ‘laboratories’), could potentially accommodate several thousand workers – a point on which the applicants have remained VERY quiet. Their ‘provisional’ parking proposals include two multi-storey car parks- which are unlikely to be enough. At 50 cars per level, as suggested, they would only accommodate around 500- 600 cars in total. How many thousands of workers do they think are going to walk or cycle to Wicklesham Quarry to work? Such a huge industrial infrastructure site would undoubtedly generate a substantial increase in traffic on the A420, along with a need for parking – which the plans do not provide. The plans offer no solutions to either traffic problems nor on-site parking, nor do they recognize the impacts on Faringdon itself. Even now, many drivers wishing to turn right onto the A420 from Fernham Road turn left (at ALL times of day) and then right into Coxwell Road and Faringdon. This means drivers go through Faringdon via Coxwell Road & London Street in order to access the A420 towards Oxford, because the Fernham Road junction is often too dangerous, and the A420 too busy, to turn right. Any increase in traffic queues along Park Road – which would be inevitable – would also mean through traffic from Lechlade direction would not use Park Road roundabout, but instead use either Coxwell Road or Gloucester St and London Street to reach the A420.
Further IMPORTANT points – on the claimed ‘Principle of Development’, together with the applicants’ inaccurate claims about the geology and biodiversity of the quarry – will be included in a further update AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.
Apologies to Wicklesham supporters who have been looking for updates about all this recently- I’ve seen your online footprints! I will make up for it over the coming week to ten days- in good time for us to put in our objections. We have until 15 June.
There are many more important points to be made - as well as corrections - and I will try to cover them. Please get in touch with any queries: protectwicklesham@gmail.com.
TOGETHER we can beat this horrendous proposal!