“This is a ridiculous announcement – the government put Weston Otmoor in its lowest category for proposed sites, the only one in that category”, said Matt Jackson, BBOWT, “and it has proposed an alternative location for development to the north-west of Bicester, which is rated higher than the Weston site. They should have had the courage to remove Weston Otmoor from the list entirely, instead of pretending that it is still a viable option.”
The announcement on 4 November rates the remaining eco-towns according to how viable the government thinks each option is. A single site, Rackheath in Norwich, is rated as “generally suitable for an eco-town” – Grade A. Ten sites “which would be suitable for eco-towns subject to meeting specific planning and design objectives” are listed (Grade B), whilst Weston Otmoor alone is classified as being “only likely to be suitable for an eco-town with substantial and exceptional innovation” – Grade C.
A possible extension of Bicester to the north-west has been added to the list of proposals, and is rated at Grade B, higher than the Weston Otmoor proposal.
“BBOWT is not opposed to all housing developments”, Mr Jackson said, “but they must come forward through the local planning process instead of being parachuted in. We will work now with the local authority in Cherwell to ensure that any eco-town proposal actually benefits the wildlife of Oxfordshire – making it worthy of the ‘eco’ label.”
BBOWT has been firmly opposed to the Weston Otmoor site being brought forward as an eco-town because the development has the potential to cause major damage to rare habitats in the surrounding area. BBOWT’s own Woodsides Meadow nature reserve would be under threat if the development went forward.
