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Radley
Wetland Centre planning application stalled by traffic
objection
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[posted
06/06/2011, updated 17/06/2011]
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The
planning application by the Earth Trust to construct
the Radley Wetland Centre on land next to Thrupp Lake
has been stalled by an objection from the Oxfordshire
County Council Highways Authority. However, such was
the prevailing support for the proposal that, at the
recent meeting of the Vale of White Horse District Council
Planning Committee, Councillors, rather than refuse
the application in line with the officers' recommendation,
delegated the matter to the officers, instructing them
to engage with OCC Highways and the applicant to overcome
the objection, and, when this is done, to grant the
permission. If, and only if, they are unable to resolve
the objection, then the matter will come back before
the planning committee. |
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| In the latest instalment of
the Radley Lakes saga, the Earth Trust (formerly the Northmoor
Trust) has applied for planning permission to demolish
the house at Sandles, next to Thrupp Lake, and to replace
it with a purpose-built visitor centre located nearby
at the edge of the lake. The proposal is a key part of
well-publicised plans to create a community nature reserve
at Thrupp Lake following its gifting to the community
by the power company, RWE npower in 2008. Officers and
councillors agreed that the proposal was of high quality
and met or exceeded all the criteria for receiving permission,
except for those raised by Highways. These mainly arise
out of concerns about ability of Thrupp Lane to carry,
in reasonable safety, the modest amount of extra traffic
that the proposal would generate . |
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| When examined, the issue was
found to be essentially about the existing state
of Thrupp Lane and its capacity to carry the heavy lorry
traffic currently imposed upon it by concrete
and aggregates businesses in the lane (businesses whose
presence was only ever meant to be temporary). Moreover,
in view of the fact that it is the Highways Authority
that is ultimately responsible for ensuring that Thrupp
Lane is safe and reasonably fit for purpose, councillors
felt that the authority had been ignoring the problems
in the lane and that, in the present circumstances, it
could be more helpful. As one councillor put it, "the
Highways Authority is operating an unsafe facility"
and so have some responsibility for helping to address
the underlying problems beyond simply raising objections.
While there was overwhelming support for the project,
which is heavily backed by the community - with one councillor
saying that, for the first time in 16 years, he was prepared
to vote against the officers' recommendation - there was
nevertheless a reluctance to ignore the highway issues.
In an inspired move, the committee voted unanimously to
delegate the matter to the officers, with the power to
grant once the objections had been overcome, but, importantly,
not to refuse, if they could not be. |
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| The Parish Council and members
of the public spoke passionately in support of the project,
and this was backed up by a powerful letter of support
from MP, Nicola Blackwood. There was one objector, who
also spoke. |
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| The decision was the best one
for Radley because it should, indeed will, have have not
one, but two, favourable consequences. The permission
for the Wetland Centre will surely be granted but, in
the process, the traffic problems in Thrupp Lane will,
not before time, be addressed and hopefully sorted out
to everyone's satisfaction. For neither of these things
to happen would be nothing less than an abject failure
of both government and politics, and, as such, should
be unthinkable. |
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Thrupp
Lake from the south, May 2011.
The Sandles building, which the proposal would demolish,
is visible just above centre. This would be replaced
by the new visitor centre, which would be a much less
obtrusive building located at the lake shore slightly
to the left of where Sandles appears in this picture. |
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A
lot of work has already been done on the site, much
of it by volunteers, to make it more attractive to visitors
while maintaining or enhancing opportunities for wildlife.
A shelter and a bird hide, have been constructed and
a circular walk created around the lake with waymarkers
and interpretation signs. The path, which comprises
both public and permissive rights of way, was officially
opened on Friday 17th June.
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Related
Links
Vale
of White Horse District Council Planning Committee meeting
25 May 2011, Agenda.
Letter
of support from Nicola Blackwood
Thrupp
Lake events
Memories
of Radley Wetland Centre activities and events in 2011
(See
Memories
page for earlier events)
Radley
Lakes wildlife agreement signed
Northmoor
Trust appointed to manage Thrupp Lake
Earth
Trust
Friends
of Radley Lakes
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