THE Wantage Herald last week referred to the 1,500 home estate to be built on Crab Hill, on the edge of Charlton.

The first application for outline planning permission was discussed in 2013 and the approval finally granted in 2015 provided permission to build up to 1,500 homes and three accesses to the site from the A417 and one access from the A338.

The agreement with the developers was more than 200 pages.

In it were a number of conditions which the developers have to fulfil including details of the amounts and timing of the contributions to be paid to both Oxfordshire County Council and Vale of White Horse District Council to help pay for the infrastructure required.

The first application for outline planning permission was discussed in 2013 and the approval finally granted in 2015 provided permission to build up to 1,500 homes and three accesses to the site from the A417 and one access from the A338.

It also requires a primary school, community centre, parks, children’s play areas, sports pitches and a sports pavilion to be included in the development as well as parts of the Eastern Relief Road.

There are three planning applications currently active which relate Crab Hill.

Most of these relate to some of the conditions which have to be fulfilled before detailed plans for the houses can be submitted. They cover things like the details of the number and mix of dwellings, the proportion of affordable, rented and shared ownership, and density as well as the location and timing of infrastructure and community facilities, build out rate and co-ordination of housing infrastructure.

The first application is P17/V0652/FUL and includes a site-wide plan for where roads, cycle ways and footpaths will be, a landscape plan and proposes moving back some of the contributions for schools and delivery of some of the roads to match the detailed delivery plan.

The second application is P17/V1447/DIS and includes a woodland management plan and broadband strategy as well as detail of the access to the first phase of building (behind the Cricket Club).

These two applications will go to the Planning Committee on 10 July.

The third application P17/V1499/RM, submitted last week, is the detailed application for Phase 1A (the first phase of development). This is for 70 homes off the A417 to the east of the cricket pitch, the Pound and Whitehorns Farm Road.

There will be a landscape buffer of 10m between the new estate and the existing homes but this will be within the gardens of the new homes in addition to their normal gardens (8-10m long).

We’re told that this will ensure that the buffer is managed.

All new homes in Phase 1A will be at least three bedrooms and no affordable homes are included in this phase.

Most of the new homes will be two-storey but 20 per cent (14 homes) will be taller at two-and-a-half storeys.

Comments can be submitted until 5th July.