Plans to convert a barn into ten homes near Somerton raise concerns about traffic, services, and exceeding Class Q limits.
They want to convert a barn into homes. The plan includes two three-bedroom homes and eight two-bedroom homes.
Each home will have a family kitchen and dining room. Parking is planned for two cars per home.
They submitted the plan to Cherwell District Council using Class Q rules for the conversion. Class Q allows farm buildings to become homes, permitting up to five homes, but they want to make ten.
The conversion can change the building’s use and the use of surrounding land. However, Class Q does not allow them to replace the barn.
Four people objected to the plan, while Somerton Parish Council did not object.
Sam Harvey, who lives on Dovecote Lane, thought Somerton was exempt from new builds, citing the already numerous new homes in Heyford Park. He believes the village lacks services for ten more homes and that traffic is already worse from Heyford Park.
Harvey also notes that Fritwell Road has a dangerous blind bend where cars often park, causing problems. He feels the plan lacks visitor parking, and Dovecote Lane is already used for overflow parking, which this plan could worsen.
Deborah Critchley, living on Heyford Road, said if approved, roads must improve. She wants a longer 20mph zone and traffic calming on Fritwell Road, and she suggested limiting the site to ten homes.
The planning statement describes the design as retaining the barn’s agricultural feel, with materials reflecting its original character. Vertical timber cladding and profiled metal cladding are planned for the outside.
The barn was used for farming, housing livestock and farm equipment before July 2023. These factors qualify it as an agricultural building, meaning Class Q rules apply.