The planning application for the Swan School (ref: 18/01173/FUL), refused by East Area Planning Committee on 5 September, has been called in by city councillors. This means the application – and the refusal – will be reconsidered by the Planning Review Committee. The minutes of the EAPC meeting show that the reasons for refusing the application were its impact on the Green Belt and a failure to ensure that access to the site gives priority to pedestrians and cyclists. The earliest date for the PRC to consider the matter is 10 October, though as yet this date is not definite.

At the EAPC meeting there were two votes on the application, the first to approve the application and the second to refuse it on the grounds mentioned above. Thanks to the report by Sophie Grubb (@OxMailSophieG) in the Oxford Mail we know that Councillors Nigel Chapman (Lab, Headington Hill & Northway), David Henwood (Lab, Cowley) and John Tanner (Lab, Littlemore) voted to approve the application; Shaista Aziz (Lab, Rose Hill & Iffley), Mary Clarkson (Lab, Marston), Alex Hollingsworth (Lab, Carfax), Mark Lygo (Lab, Churchill) and Roz Smith (LibDem, Quarry & Risinghurst) voted against. Stef Garden (LibDem, Headington) abstained, so the vote was 5-3 against the application with one abstention.

On the second vote, to refuse the application, the voting was the same (or more accurately, reversed) except that Shaista Aziz abstained instead of supporting the motion so the result was 4-3 in favour of refusal with two abstentions.