West Way Community Concern gathered over 2200 signatures on the petition they presented to the Vale of White Horse council last Wednesday. Many local residents came along to show their support. The intention is to get a development that’s right for the people of Botley, and not just the pocket book of the Vale and its developers.

In the days preceding the meeting, I worked to see if we could come up with a realistic motion that would urge Cabinet to do something to help. I wanted to find some way to get a motion passed, so it had to overcome party political interests (which would just have a critical debate and a vote along party lines, so that wouldn’t help).

In collaboration with West Way Concern and the Leader of the Vale Council, we got this motion tabled:

Council acknowledges the strong local opposition to the proposals outlined by Doric Properties for the redevelopment of the West Way area, Botley, on the grounds that residents feel their scale is inappropriately large and completely out of character for a suburban residential area.

Council urges Cabinet to do all they can to persuade Doric Properties to meet with residents and work in partnership with the local community of Botley to find a way forward.

I proposed it, the Leader seconded it, and the council approved it.

I spoke about the responsibility the council has to consult the people who are affected by council decisions. (You can read what I said here.) The Leader said he (and therefore, Cabinet) would do all they could to encourage Doric to address local concerns about the plans and work with local people for a solution that works for Botley.

I intend to follow this up with public questions at future council meetings about what Cabinet have done to so urge Doric, and what results have they had.

Doric’s planning application is expected on Friday. At a meeting earlier this month,  we learned that the consultation clock starts ticking after the planning application has been checked and it’s been verified that all the required documents and plans are included. I will be notified when the plans are received by Vale Planning Department. Planning Officers will put  them straight up onto the planning site so we can see them over the holidays. There will be also hard copies, but I’m not sure when or where. (I think West Way Concern are instrumental in that.)

We will have at least 6 weeks to lodge objections, and possibly more (as many as 16). We’ll know more details when the application is received at the Vale.

To keep absolutely up to date, please be sure to check West Way Community Concern’s website or their Facebook page.