The North Witney Consortium’s proposals for the North Witney Strategic Development Area will comprise up to 1,250 new homes in a range of house types and tenures to address the housing needs of West Oxfordshire and Witney. The exact mixture of housing types and tenures will be guided by West Oxfordshire District Council’s requirements, including the delivery of affordable housing on site, which will be comprised of both social rent and shared ownership properties.

To ensure the new homes integrate with the existing landscape setting and built character of Witney, a range of different densities are proposed across the site. This will help in assimilating the proposed development with the prevailing character of the area, including taking account of the open space beyond the site to the north.

Along the north edge, the design has responded to the sensitive ecological and landscape features by proposing lower density, lower rise housing, with increased space between dwellings to provide a transition from the more urban development within the centre of the proposed site and the tree-lined edge. A similar approach is also proposed in the section of the site abutting the Middlefield Farm, with areas of paddock style open space and farmhouse style housing formed in courtyards, reflective of the layout of the farm.

It is proposed that the majority of the residential parcels throughout the development will follow the prevailing character of the wider Witney area, with a mixture of detached, semidetached homes and apartments. Along the primary street, a higher density of housing is proposed around the local centre, to reinforce the more urban nature of this part of the site.