Under siege from newbuild estates: Million-pound homeowners fear their village is being turned into a ‘metropolis’ after series of controversial planning applications

Homeowners fear their sleepy village will be turned into a ‘metropolis’ surrounded by new-build housing estates after a series of controversial plans submitted to the council.

Neighbors in Lower Shiplake, near Henley-on-Thames, Oxfordshire, say the property rush is devastating the countryside, clogging up already busy roads and threatening to overwhelm the local primary school.

Fears center on plans for 84 homes that have received planning permission despite being proposed to be built on land above an aquifer that provides drinking water to 50,000 people.

As part of the proposals, Taylor Wimpey developers will bore holes in the land at Thames Farm and inject concrete into them to stabilize the ground, which is vulnerable to potholes.

Residents of the village, where the value of the houses are millions of lira, claim that the planned works are a ‘public health problem’ that could ‘pollute’ the fresh water supply in the surrounding area.

Meanwhile, a campaign was launched against proposals to build 60 houses on the meadow in the village, which was previously used for pony grazing.

The planning application was submitted by Bolney Court Inc, a British Virgin Islands-based offshore company reportedly linked to Swiss billionaire Urs Schwarzenbach. Submitted by.

Claire Needham, Norman Askew and Toni Ward are campaigning against proposals to build on the picturesque area behind their home

Image: Land that could be turned into housing as part of controversial plans linked to Swiss billionaire Urs Schwarzenbach

There are already dozens of objections on South Oxfordshire District Council’s online planning portal; Campaigners argue they were given assurances that the land would never be used for housing.

It is stated that the proposals also contradict the neighborhood plan approved in a referendum in 2022 in order to preserve the rural character of the area.

Neighbor Norman Askew, 83, said: ‘Of course it will destroy our house but our real concern is that it is outside the local plan.

‘It doesn’t fill in the village, it expands it, and Shiplake has already seen a lot of development.’

Local Claire Needham added: ‘I am concerned about the impact it will have on our drinking water.

‘They haven’t sorted out the aquifer and every response we’ve gotten has been pretty arrogant.

‘We are a small village and it is turning into a metropolis. ‘There’s been so much progress in such a short time.’

Peter Boros is chairman of the campaign group calling for the Thames Farm development to be scrapped

Pictured: The Thames Farm development sits on an aquifer providing fresh water to Henley and surrounding areas

General view of houses in Lower Shiplake, near Henley-on-Thames, Oxfordshire

The housing plans are just the latest in a series of new housing proposals currently under construction in and around Lower Shiplake.

Local people questioned the need for the new homes, saying they were ‘unsuitable’; He added that contractors were struggling to sell some of the completed ones, priced at around £3 million.

A neighbour, who wished to remain anonymous, said: ‘What I don’t understand is that they don’t plan to put any amenities there.

‘There is currently only one small primary school. This means around 60 extra houses to be added to our village. ‘We only have a bar and a corner shop.’

Local Toni Ward added: ‘There is a neighborhood plan agreed with the government. This is contrary to the diplomatic process.

‘Shiplake is getting bigger and bigger and is destroying the character of our village.’

Meanwhile, neighbor Kelly Elshafey said: ‘My number one concern is traffic. This road is the main artery into Henley and has already turned into a nightmare.

Neighbors in Lower Shiplake, near Henley-on-Thames, Oxfordshire, say their village cannot cope with the influx of new housing

General view of the village shop in Lower Shiplake, Oxfordshire

Image: One of the new-build properties recently built near Lower Shiplake

Earlier this month a planning inspector approved three objections to the Thames Farm development, paving the way for construction to begin.

The controversy began in 2017 when Taylor Wimpey was granted permission to build 95 homes on the site, which was later reduced to 84.

South Oxfordshire District Council had initially rejected the plans, citing concerns about potential impacts on groundwater and public water supplies.

The official rejection notice said the application ‘failed to demonstrate that the proposed engineering operations would not pose an unacceptable risk to the aquifer and nearby public water abstractions’.

Peter Boros, chairman of the group resisting the proposals, said: ‘This is not just a local planning decision.

‘A nationally important groundwater resource is concerned with the security of the public drinking water supply and the protection of some of the rarest freshwater habitats in the world.

‘There is no reset button when an aquifer is damaged.’

Locals questioned the need for new homes and said those already built were ‘not affordable’ and not all had been sold (overview of village)

However, the planning inspectorate found that these reasons were ‘not strong enough to resist appeals’ and that the benefits of the scheme outweighed its negative effects.

Taylor Wimpey said the new drainage plans would ensure there were no off-site impacts to surface water.

A spokesman for Taylor Wimpey told the Mail: ‘Following significant work to address the concerns of the local planning authority and other stakeholders, we are pleased that the inspector has approved our proposals for new homes at Thames Farm in Shiplake.

‘In his decision, he specifically stated that our application showed ‘full compliance with the development plan adopted for the region’.

‘We are reviewing the planning conditions set out by the inspector to ensure we are fully compliant as we seek to begin work on site and will continue to work closely with stakeholders and the local community.’

A spokesperson for South Oxfordshire District Council said: ‘All planning applications for new developments are assessed against local and national policy, including community-prepared neighborhood plans such as the Shiplake Neighborhood Plan 2022.

‘Key areas to meet local housing needs are allocated appropriately according to settlement size and type, as well as local infrastructure and service availability.

‘As the planning authority we are unable to comment directly on live planning applications.’