The broadcasters joined Lord Smith of Finsbury, Sarah Raven, the gardener, Tom Stuart-Smith, the garden designer, A.N. Wilson, the writer, and Charles Saumarez Smith, the historian, in raising concerns about proposals for a 9,000-home development at Heyford Park, near Bicester.
Plans for the 9,000 new homes have been submitted to Cherwell District Council, 2,700 of which are affordable, 900 assisted living homes and 180 would be for key workers.
Should the council grant permission for the scheme – which appears to already have the backing of the Labour government – construction could start in autumn 2026 with a final completion date of 2042.
READ MORE: Heyford Park: Fears over impact on Rousham House and Gardens
In a letter to The Times, the signatories said the project would be visible from ‘important vantage points’ within the historic gardens of Rousham House, a grade I registered park and garden described as ‘completely unspoilt and uncommercialised’ on its website.
They said: “At the scale proposed, the development risks causing significant and irreparable damage to one of the greatest gardens in the world.”
The group urged Cherwell District Council, Historic England and the government to place ‘robust constraints’ on the development to protect the setting of the historic estate.
Heyford Park proposals (Image: Dorchester Living)
Don previously said Rousham was ‘one of the truly great gardens of the world’, reports The Times.
This comes after Oxfordshire Gardens Trust, a society established in 2002 to promote the understanding, enjoyment and protection of Oxfordshire’s parks and gardens, raised concerns about the scheme’s impact on the view of the iconic landscape.
In a letter submitted on the planning application, Oxfordshire Gardens Trust said: “Whilst it is appreciated that the re-development of Upper Heyford airbase is contained within the local plan, Oxfordshire Gardens Trust has extremely strong concerns about the enormity of the proposals potentially impacting the views and setting of Rousham Park.”
Heyford Park proposals (Image: Dorchester Living)
It added: “Oxfordshire Gardens Trust remains extremely strongly concerned about the scale of the development and impacts on Rousham designed views, heritage assets and their settings from noise, vibration and visual intrusion.”
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Paul Silver, chief executive of Dorchester Living, told The Daily Telegraph: “Rousham lies within a designated conservation area and a carefully protected landscape.
Paul Silver, chief executive of Dorchester Living, at Heyford Park near Bicester (Image: Matt Simpson)
“A comprehensive landscape and visual assessment has been undertaken as part of the planning application.
“The proposed development site is located approximately 2km to the northeast of Rousham Park.
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“The submitted heritage, townscape and visual impact assessment demonstrates that the development will not be visible from the northeast part of the registered park and garden, where the majority of listed garden structures are situated.”
A spokesman for Cherwell District Council told The Times: “Heyford Park has been suggested as the potential location of a new town in the recommendations of the government’s taskforce report, but no decision has been taken on this by the government.
“A separate application for planning permission has been made by Dorchester Living for some 9,000 homes at Heyford Park.
“Consideration of the application and the potential impacts of the proposed development, including whether or not there would be any adverse effects on Rousham House, is ongoing. The conclusions will be reported to the council’s planning committee in due course.”
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