Proposed Church Fields Character Area Local Green Space

 Fields to the west of the well used St.Mary’s Church to Mill End Public Footpath) The site is shown on the map below. It lies wholly within the Church Street Conservation Area forming part of the Church Fields Character Area.

National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) Criteria.

The area meets the NPPF criteria for designation as LGS, as follows:

Proximity to the local community

The area consists largely of paddocks for horses immediately adjacent to the built up area of Kidlington. A well used public footpath runs along its eastern boundary which can be accessed both from the historic almshouses next to St Mary’s Church and at Mill End, and from the publicly accessible fields in the ownership of the Branson family. Although most of the proposed LGS is in private use and not accessible, guidance makes clear that green areas which are valued because of their wildlife, historic significance and/or beauty may nevertheless be designated as LGS (see PPG Reference ID: 37-017-20140306). In this case, the whole area is visible from the footpath, is within the conservation area and must remain undeveloped in order to provide the fine setting for St Mary’s Church and other historic buildings which the conservation area seeks to protect.

Historic significance

The proposed LGS lies wholly within the designated Church Street Conservation Area and within that is part of the Church Fields Character Area. Discussing this character area, CDC’s own Conservation Area Appraisal states that:

“The public right of way is an ideal place to see the rear of the properties on Church Street and Mill Street. The paddocks stretch right up to the high walls of the properties, and shows how easily inappropriate development to the rear can be detrimental to the conservation area. At present, the high walls and vegetation blends the line between fields and houses, and this symbiotic relationship should be protected.”

The proposed LGS is also part of the setting for St. Mary’s Church. Kidlington is unusual in that its parish church is situated on the extremity of the village, on a slightly elevated site at the end of an area of terraced river gravels which runs along Church Street. St Mary’s Church is a large, Grade I listed building, dating back 800 years and has an exceptionally tall and slender steeple (known as ‘Our Lady’s Needle’). It is the final building on the northern edge of the village and is almost surrounded by fields, with the exception of houses at the northern end of Church Street. As the surrounding land is low-lying, the church is visible from considerable distances. When seen from many directions it appears to be set amongst fields.

It is essential to retain the fields in the proposed LGS to maintain both the beautiful setting of the magnificent church and the conservation area as a whole. The conservation area includes not only Church Street but extends along Mill Street and includes Mill End. It contains many old houses and Grade II and II* listed buildings including the beautiful and possibly medieval Grade II* Dovecote, Grade II* Vicarage and Grade II Church Street Farmhouse and other Grade II houses and almshouses near the church. As mentioned in the quote from the Conservation Area Appraisal, these buildings and their high walls can be appreciated from the well used and historic footpath which runs along the eastern edge of the proposed LGS. (see photo below)

 The footpath itself is historic. It was the subject of an enclosure award of 1818 and should be ten feet wide throughout its length. However, it almost certainly existed in the middle ages. An eminent historian, living locally and specialising in medieval history, comments that :

“ the footpath must have been medieval and its purpose was to link the area around the church, where there was much housing, with the two mills, one on each side of the river, at Mill End, now houses (but with the mill machinery still in place, I'm told). It's highly likely that the path provided a route for manorial tenants to take their corn for milling. The ridge-and-furrow to the right of the footpath, and also running across it, proves that at one stage this was good arable land, under the plough.”

The historic ridge and furrow lies on fields to the north-east of the footpath and is a reminder of pre-enclosure Kidlington. These lead without interruption to further fields (and further ridge and furrow) and the River Cherwell itself. The openness and low-lying nature (liable to flooding) of the whole area is a key element of the landscape here.

CDC’s own 2014 SHLAA rejected this site as suitable for development stating that: “development would result in the loss of an important gap within the Church Fields Character Area and would adversely affect the setting of the Conservation Area. There would also be some detrimental impact on the character of the Mill Street area to the south.”

 Recreational value

 The footpath along the edge of the proposed LGS It is now part of the Oxford Green Belt Way, a 80 km route encircling Oxford. It is extremely well used both by local people and visitors undertaking longer distance walks. Its recreational value is, of course, closely tied to the historical importance of the site, the Conservation Area Appraisal making clear how the footpath allows an appreciation of the character of the village here. The openness of the land either side of the path is essential to its enjoyment. The views from it, both north and south, of the church and other historic buildings really do take the walker back in time. The idea of a ‘village in the landscape’ is demonstrated here better here than anywhere else on the edge of Kidlington.

 Beauty and Tranquillity

 The views here of the church and the village are indeed beautiful (see photo above) and with no roads in the vicinity, the area is also tranquil. It is on the edge of the open, undeveloped countryside of the Cherwell Valley.

Richness of Wildlife

The whole area abounds with wildlife. Badgers, foxes, roe deer, squirrels, weasels and grass snakes are to be found in the proposed LGS itself. A survey of the site undertaken in 2013 by an RSPB officer identified 27 species of breeding birds including several on the current RSPB red list (cuckoo, mistle thrush, song thrush, starling and house sparrow) and the amber list (swift and dunnock). Other species observed by local residents include grey wagtail, heron, buzzard and sparrow hawk, great spotted woodpecker, green woodpecker, house martin, swallow, linnet and whitethroat as well as bats. The RSPB officer also commented that an ungrazed field within the site was rich in wild flowers and contained a wide range of plant species. Invertebrate species recorded included Brown hawker dragonfly, Gatekeeper, Large skipper and Meadow brown butterflies.

The proposed LGS also adjoins a proposed Local Wildlife Site (Kidlington Meadows, BBOWT ref 41X02) and is part of open land leading to the Cherwell Valley Conservation Target Area.

Local in Character

This proposed site is local in character and not extensive. The proposed LGS consists of a relatively small area of paddocks which is of historic significance to the community. It is essential to maintain it as Green Space in order to protect the character of the Conservation Area as is acknowledged in the Conservation Area Document and 2014 HEELA. and also for the enjoyment of users of the Public Right of Way.