Proposed Local Green Space at Stratfield Brake Playing Fields
This is a proposal for a local green space at Stratfield Brake in addition to the two sites put forward by KDW to the north and north-east of the village at the Options Consultation stage. The draft Local Plan 2042 includes our proposal for a Local Green Space on the Nature Reserve element of this site but rejected the Playing Fields. We consider that the playing fields should either be included with the nature reserve as one LGS or designated separately. Planning Practice Guidance states that, in the Green Belt, “Local Green Space designation could help to identify areas that are of particular importance to the local community”. We consider that Stratfield Brake is a prime candidate for designation.
The proposed site is shown on the aerial photo below.
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 is almost immediately to the south of the Garden City area of Kidlington and Gosford Hill (which is in Gosford and Water Eaton Parish). It consists of sports and recreation grounds (within the dashed line) and a nature reserve managed by the Woodland Trust. Almost all of the site is freely and easily accessible to the public due to its proximity to homes in Kidlington, public transport links and car park. There are many informal paths running through the nature reserve, while the playing fields are available for formal and informal recreation. A footbridge gives access to the canal towpath, a further well used recreational route.
In addition the area immediately to the north is an allocated housing site in the Local Plan Partial Review (PR7b – Stratfield Farm), while to the east is a further site (PR7a- land SE of Kidlington).
Demonstrably special to a local community and holding a particular local significance
The land was acquired by the County Council many years ago, specifically to protect it from development and to maintain the gap separating Kidlington from Oxford. Subsequently it and other land surrounding Kidlington was designated as part of the Oxford Green Belt. Recently, much of the Green Belt around Kidlington has had this status removed to accommodate the housing allocations in Cherwell’s Local Plan Partial Review (including PR7a and PR7b mentioned above as well as the large sites on PR6a & b). However these allocations were made on the basis that Stratfield Brake would remain undeveloped within the Green Belt, the Planning Inspector‘s report stating that the plan would result in “clear, defensible boundaries” to the Green Belt.
With the allocation of sites PR6a, PR6b, PR7a and PR7b for housing in the LPPR, Stratfield Brake is now almost the only remaining piece of Green Belt in the area where the gap between Kidlington and Oxford is at its narrowest. It therefore has huge significance to the local community in retaining Kidlington’s identity as a distinct settlement, separate from Oxford.
Recreational value
The north-eastern part of the site consists of recreation grounds managed by Kidlington Parish Council which, along with Gosford & Water Eaton Parish Council, holds a long term lease on this area. There is a modern clubhouse and sports pitches. The grounds are used by a number of clubs, for example rugby, cricket and running, as well as being extensively used for informal recreation.
The remainder of the site is managed as a nature reserve by the Woodland Trust. Its website (https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/visiting-woods/woods/stratfield-brake/) describes it as follows: “Just a few kilometers from the centre of Oxford, Stratfield Brake is a peaceful oasis that’s perfect for getting close to nature throughout the seasons. In a landscape with little accessible woodland, the woods are a joy to walk through and the wetland is great for birdwatching.”
Richness of Wildlife
The Woodland Trust describes the site as follows: “Stratfield Brake is an oasis for wildlife, especially birds. 96 different bird species have been recorded here, including both woodland and wetland species. Look out for the large rook colonies that have made Stratfield Brake their home for many years.
The wetlands provide the perfect conditions for dragonflies and water birds, and the mature woodland is a habitat for fungi, mosses, insects and bats.”
“Stratfield Brake has a mixture of habitats, including mature and young woodland, open water and wet grassland. The new wet grassland area is part of a local cluster of wetlands which enables species to move between sites, creating ideal conditions for dragonflies, damselflies and wetland birds.”
The recreation grounds provide an important buffer to the nature reserve separating it from the built up area of Kidlington. This buffer acts as an extension to the habitat of the nature reserve and contributes significantly to the quality and quantity of biodiversity which would inevitably decline were this buffer to be removed.
In addition the area immediately to the north is an allocated housing site in the Local Plan Partial Review (PR7b – Stratfield Farm), while to the east is a further site (PR7a- land SE of Kidlington).
Beauty and Tranquillity
These are subjective and relative criteria. However the Woodland Trust’s comments sum up the value of the site well: “Just a few kilometres from the centre of Oxford, Stratfield Brake is a peaceful oasis that’s perfect for getting close to nature throughout the seasons.”
The western end of the Nature Reserve
The nature reserve is complemented by the open spaces of the recreation area which provide one of the remaining protected Green Spaces between Oxford and Kidlington offering the opportunity to feel “out in the open” while to an extent shielded from roads and other urban activities by the trees of the Woodland Trust site.
Local in Character
Guidance says that a LGS site should not be extensive in nature but does not define extensive. The site is not an “extensive tract of land” and has clearly defined boundaries. It is certainly not extensive when compared to the areas of land that have already been removed from the Green Belt. We are aware of examples elsewhere of similarly sized sites which local authorities have deemed suitable as LGS.