01/06/11……Could houses be built on school land in Thame?

PRELIMINARY talks about building additional new homes that may be required, on land currently part of Lord Williams’s school, have been taking place.

Comments from the Government Inspector looking at the proposed Core strategy for future development in South Oxfordshire, have indicated that more than the so-far estimated 530 new homes for Thame may have to be allocated to the town because so-called ‘windfall sites’ (unplanned for sites that may become available for housing in the future), may not be taken into consideration when estimating the number of houses planned for.

If that was to happen, the planning authority’s preferred site, Site F where the old pig farm in Oxford Road opposite Lord Williams’s Upper school was, would not be big enough and other alternatives would have to be looked at.

Jake Collinge, Consultant to Thame Town Council, speaking at a meeting of the council’s Policy and Resources committee last night, revealed that talks are “on-going” between Thame Town Council, the county council, the school and South Oxfordshire District Council about the possibility of “a super-site” school being built at upper School, leaving the lower school site available for additional housing.

The Town Clerk, Helen Stewart, in answer to a question about timing from Cllr Vaughan Humphries, pointed out that any proposed site would have to be shown to be available for development, within the next couple of months before it could be considered in the Core Strategy.

Cllr Adam Buckland suggested that a new primary school would be needed if the possible new figure of around 850 new homes were to become a reality.

Some town councillors had wanted the Core strategy to be delayed until the Localism Bill had been published and its own Town Plan produced but this could take 18 months. The pressure is on SODC to get its Core Strategy in place very soon before the current CS expires and there is a loss of planning control over development in the district.

The Inspector’s examination continues and there will be more public meetings and consultations before the matter is settled.

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