Abingdon: Barton Willmore submits plans for 240 homes for Radley College
Barton Willmore, the UK’s leading independent planning and design consultancy, has submitted an outline planning application to the Vale of White Horse District Council to build up to 240 new family homes on behalf of Radley College, near Abingdon.
The submitted planning application puts forward outline proposals to build high-quality family homes on land to the north west of Radley village, on land owned by Radley College. The land falls outside of designated Green Belt and is an allocated site within the recently adopted Vale of White Horse Local Plan Part 1.
The proposed development is modelled upon the best urban design and landscape design principles. It derives its components in response to the form and character of Radley and its surrounding countryside. This ensures the new neighbourhood will make a positive and attractive contribution to the existing village. All the space around the housing has been designed to encourage walking and cycling, promoting sustainable mobility, social interaction and healthy lifestyle. The scheme will deliver 35% affordable housing in accordance with adopted Vale of White Horse policy.
The proposed development represents a positive response to feedback received from consultation with the local community, stakeholders and authorities as part of the design evolution. This includes increasing the building distance from adjacent properties. Greater priority for pedestrian and cyclist movement at the entrance to the development at the new junction of Radley Road and Foxborough Road has also been included.
The design of the proposed development has been derived following a detailed and lengthy collaborative process between the client, Barton Willmore and the Vale of White Horse District Council. Due to the College’s aspirations to improve the fabric of the village, the eventual design of the proposed development has been at the forefront of discussions, to ensure the basis is achieved at the outline stage.
A separate full planning application to build 13 new homes exclusively for staff at Radley College on adjacent land at Church Farm has also been submitted by Reading-based Barton Willmore to the Borough Council. The application was submitted following a series of public consultation events with buildings designs being informed by the character of a traditional sheltered farmyard to form a central communal space.
Alex Dutton, urban design associate at Barton Willmore, said: “The proposed new development at North West Radley offers the opportunity for the existing community to grow sustainably, with the addition of 240 new quality family homes in a setting that is sensitively landscaped to redefine the transition between the existing settlement and the surrounding countryside. The new neighbourhood is representative of the legacy within this historic institution and the village of Radley.
“Complementary to the scheme, and presented separately to this application, a bespoke new development forms a distinctive extension to the Church Farm site providing a design precedent for the wider development.”
More details about the North-West Radley scheme, such as the detailed design of the proposed new homes, will be the subject of future Reserved Matters applications, following the grant of outline consent.
Barton Willmore has worked with Radley College for over nine years on several projects; including strategic land reviews and promotion, and obtaining planning consent for internal school buildings such as new classrooms and an art block.
