MORE houses could be added to a new estate being built in Grove despite planning approval for 1,500 homes already.
Outline permission was granted to St. Modwen for 1,500 homes at Crab Hill Land north of A417 in Wantage, including a primary school, a community centre, sports fields, a pavilion and the Wantage Eastern Relief Road.
About 1,000 homes have already been given final approval and have started to be built. The developers are now due to submit a planning application for the final three phases.
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The final phases will be known as Grove East, Grove West and South West and 520 homes have already been approved for these neighbourhoods.
However, the developers want to add around 40 additional homes to the application area, bringing the total number to 560 in these phases and 1,540 across the whole development.
St Modwen said: “The additional homes would provide much needed local housing and would not impact on any of the planned infrastructure or reduce any open space.
“The housing would be within existing development parcels and above the retail units in the local centre.
“The additional homes do not result in any loss of existing or proposed open spaces or other facilities.
“There will be 35 per cent affordable housing on the uplift and no loss of the affordable housing already committed through the previously consented 520.”
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A public consultation was held at the Kingsgrove Café last week but many residents complained about the “short notice” of the meeting as well as expressing their disappointment in the additional homes planned.
On the Facebook group, Wantage and Grove Community Group, one resident said: “Enough is enough. Many people are complaining about the huge numbers of houses that have been imposed on this whole area.
“Grove is already spoiled. The whole area is one big housing estate, with less shops, less of a secondary school and less choice than when we first moved here 40 odd years ago.”
Another resident added: “This is actually 'only' another 40 homes on top of the 1,500 already approved but it's housing by stealth.
“They say it's not increasing the density but it must be - they haven't increased the area of the development.
“[However], this whole development will bring some infrastructure including a new community centre to be run by the Community Church, a new primary school, which is already open, two and a half new football pitches, a shop, a nursery, a pub, play areas and a woodland walk.
“But it will of course bring about 3,600 more people and up to 3,000 more cars.”
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People have until Friday, July 29 to provided feedback before the outline planning application is submitted.
To provide feedback, visit: https://kingsgrovewantage.co.uk/news/have-your-say-on-future-development-at-kingsgrove/
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Read more from this author
This story was written by Gee Harland, she joined the team in 2022 as a senior multimedia reporter.
Gee covers Wallingford, Wantage and Didcot.
Get in touch with her by emailing: Gee.harland@newsquest.co.uk
Follow her on Twitter @Geeharland
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