The decision as to whether Gladman and Frampton are allowed to add yet another two estates to the south-west of Bloxham are apparently due to be announced by Eric Pickles tomorrow – not today as originally scheduled.

Let us hope that he (or his aides) have taken a good look at:

1. The amount of development Bloxham has already taken without a murmur of complaint
2. The incontrovertible evidence presented on infrastructure issues, such as traffic, flooding, and primary school places for which absolutely no solutions were or are forthcoming.
3. The level of local anger prompted by both the sloppiness and disingenuousness of ‘expert’ evidence from developers much of which could be nominated for the Booker prize for fiction!
4. The fact that the National Planning Policy Framework  clearly requires a level of respect for ‘sense of place’ that is entirely missing from the two proposed developments.
5. The fact that Cherwell District Council does have a five-year supply of land for deliverable housing and yet more development of this scale in Bloxham forms no part of the draft Local Plan.
6. The resentment that will be felt by the large number of residents who – having  in good faith spent several hundred hours creating a neighbourhood plan  – could  see their vision of appropriate development consigned to the bin in deference to occupants of the Times Rich List Gladman.

Bloxham really isn’t a nimby village.  We’ve seen massive growth over the past few years with almost zero objection – but there comes a point when one can only conclude developers are equating reasonableness with apathy. Wrong!

We can only hope for a reasoned rejection of these appeals from the secretary of state. Anything else will be seen as just one more piece of evidence that ‘localism’ is nothing more than a marketing catchword dreamed up by the overpaid spin-doctors at number 10. Deeds not words please!

Check back here to find the outcome.