I’ve just checked the Neighbourhood Plan map. Not all the County’s Access to Headington project area falls within the Neighbourhood Plan’s area,
IN are
- Headley Way from the JR entrance to London Road
- London Road from Headley Way to Windmill Road
- Windmill Road to Old Road
- The Slade to somewhere between Girdlestone Road and Peat Moors*
- Old Road from Windmill Road/The Slade to Gipsy Lane
* The Plan boundary runs down The Slade here. The properties on the west side are in, but the maps I have aren’t clear about the road itself.
OUT are
- Cherwell Drive and Headley Way from the Oxford Road junction to the JR entrance
- The Slade from Peat Moors to the Hollow Way roundabout
- Horspath Driftway from Hollow Way to the Eastern by-pass
The Neighbourhood Plan will not have any direct influence on this road scheme. However, the Transport Community Policy TRC2 expresses a wish to Improve Cycling Infrastructure and Encourage Cycling – Cycle lanes should be upgraded to mandatory by improving their continuity, the clarity of signage, (especially when they meet bus-stops), and improving their maintenance and demarcation.
Green Spaces and Amenity emerged as the most significant issue in the early stages of the Plan. Draft policies in this area seem to conflict with the County’s plans to reduce or remove some grass verges and trees:
GSP1: Retaining Public Access Green Space
All current publicly accessible green space in the Headington Neighbourhood Plan area will be retained as publicly accessible green space. There will be a strong presumption against the development of and building on publicly accessible green space.
GSP4: Protecting Tree Cover
All mature trees will be conserved. Where the removal of mature trees is unavoidable as a result of development, the developer will cover the cost of planting an equal number of trees at a designated site within the Headington Neighbourhood Plan area.
Community Policy GSC1: Enhancing Headington’s Street Setting wishes that
Headington’s street setting will be enhanced by implementing the following actions:
♦ on-street trees will be conserved and increased and, when necessary, replaced by wildlife friendly varieties rich in pollen, nectar, seeds, berries and fruits;
♦ all small informal green spaces and verges will be protected and maintained
Both the Neighbourhood Plan and Access to Headington are still in their consultation stages, so whichever side of the conflicts you are on, let yours views be known! The full draft Neighbourhood Plan is here, and the County’s plans are here.