Property developers Richborough, riding the wave of success after having planning refusal for 99 houses near Caversfield overturned by a planning inspector late last year, have submitted another application near Heyford Park, this time for 475 homes.

The development would be directly adjacent to, but independent from the Dorchester development at Heyford Park.

According to application 25/03343/OUT submitted to Cherwell District Council’s planning portal, the development is for

up to 475 dwellings (including an element of extra care dwellings, Use Class C2), vehicular accesses from Camp Road, pedestrian and cycle access routes, public open space, equipped children’s play areas, surface water drainage, foul water pumping station, electrical sub-stations, landscaping, biodiversity net gain habitat, associated ground works and land for community use.

The application was submitted just before Christmas and validated by CDC in early February, meaning the application is open for consultation for just a few more days.

Likely impact of another 475 new homes

We did the sums to weigh up the impact of adding another 475 new homes to Heyford Park’s 9,000 to 13,000 new dwellings, not to mention several other large-scale developments in the near vicinity.

Population impact

Using the current UK average household size of 2.35 residents per household (Office for National Statistics (ONS)), this proposal could introduce approximately:

• 475 dwellings × 2.35 = ~1,116 additional residents

This figure does not take into account visitors, or people who come to work or deliver a service in the development.

Traffic impact

A cautious residential trip-generation assumption is approximately 7 two-way vehicle movements per dwelling per day (entries + exits). That produces:

• 475 × 7 × 365 = ~1,213,625 vehicle movements per year (about 1.2 million)

The above figure does not take into account visitors, or people who come to work in the development such as carers, delivery drivers and provide other goods and services the development will require.

Cumulative effects are lived experiences

As recent developments in the area have taught us, adding and/or upgrading infrastructure and day-to-day facilities does not appear to be a priority for developers. Heyford Park’s current residents, some of whom moved in over a decade ago, are still waiting for several of the promised amenities that attracted them to the development.

It’s these facilities that make a development – and its surrounding area – liveable. A lack of local amenities drives people into their cars, forming habits that will need changing once local facilities are finally added. And as we all know, old habits die hard…

Residents already living in the area have to contend with years of construction traffic, noise, dust and fumes, causing damaged roads that the local authority has little money to repair. And as settlements coalesce, residents end up with a permanently changed living environment. The scale and urban nature of some of the plans will do irreparable damage to the character of rural Oxfordshire, the very thing that attracts people to live and work there.

It’s time to object

Adverse impacts include:

• Severe cumulative congestion
• Road safety risks during and after construction
• Air quality deterioration
• Noise and light pollution
• Increased flood risk
• Coalescence of rural settlements
• Loss of farmland and green space

How to object – deadline 5th March 2026

Write your own, or click here to download our template (Word document).

Send your objection to planning@cherwell-dc.gov.uk as an email, or with a separate document with your objection. 

Send by post to Cherwell District Council, Planning Team, 39 Castle Quay Banbury Oxon OX16 5FD

Please ensure you include the relevant reference number, 25/03343/OUT, your name, and your full address. Without these, your objection will not be accepted.

The planning portal is known to crash and lose submissions. If you do use the portal to object, NORA recommends checking later to verify whether your objection has been recorded and published.

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