Lord Spencer-Churchill's planning application

Mon 16 Oct 2006, 13:07

Lord Edward Spencer-Churchill (Duke of Marlborough's second son) has submitted a planning application for an enormous seven-bedroomed house, with underground swimming pool, garages and servant quarters on Manor Farm, Fawler. Last week, Lord Spencer-Churchill and his agent (along with all our local Councillors) attended the Fawler Parish Meeting to address the considerable local opposition to the application. The main thrust of the objections were the loss of the unspoilt nature of the bridleway, the amount of construction traffic through the village during it's five year construction and the general size/nature of the house. It is VERY large, neo-Georgian (I think) is the description of the style and with huge formal gardens including an aquaduct. I have 'heard' that it will be bigger than Cornbury house, but I'm not sure. It will certainly be visible from a wide area. The vehicular accesses are along the Bridleway in Fawler and from the main road to Witney from Charlbury through what is a field gate at the moment (you can see the orange planning notice, before you come to the Fawler turn). Many people enjoy walking along the Bridleway, particularly over to Charlbury and this house will dramatically change that area, the views will be lost for a start.
The irony is that the planning laws allow for a house this size if the architectural design is sufficiently innovative, with the idea of creating "stately homes of the future", as it was described at last weeks meeting. If ordinary people want to build houses around Fawler for local families to live in, planning does not permit it, but if you want to put up a Mansion House or an 'architectural folly' as ESC described it himself, then that's OK, and we should all be glad to have a patron of the arts moving in next door! Anyway, people in Fawler are very upset and I would urge anyone with an interest in this to view the plans, Jeff Lowe is the Planning Officer at Witney. Any letters of opinion (either way) to WODC planners would be appreciated.