ANNEX F

Alternative Minerals Areas in Southern Oxfordshire

This annex summarises the assessment of seven areas in southern Oxfordshire which have been put forward as potential alternatives to the Stadhampton-Berinsfield-Warborough-Benson (SBWB) area (see plan attached to this annex).  A summary of the assessment of the SBWB area is also included for comparison.

Radley

Overriding Constraints:
Registered Historic Park and Garden (significant part of area)
Conservation Area (significant part of area – same area as above)

Other Factors:
Very poor accessibility to main road network
Not well located in relation to main market areas
High grade agricultural land (over half of area)
Significant buffers required to settlement (Lower Radley)
Local landscape designation (most of area)
Significant margins required to River Thames
Liable to flood

Estimated sand and gravel resource unconstrained in principle: 1 million tonnes

Conclusion: Unconstrained resource too small and too poorly located to be a strategic resource area.

Marcham

Overriding constraints: None

Other Factors:
Good accessibility to main road network
Well located in relation to main market areas
Buffer required to settlement (Marcham)
Affected by line of proposed Marcham Bypass
Possible contamination of watercourses from saline groundwater
Margin required to River Ock
Liable to flood
Uncertain mineral quality (high silt and sand content) and depth

Estimated sand and gravel resource unconstrained in principle: 4 million tonnes

Conclusion: Unconstrained resource too small (less than 5 million tonnes) and uncertain to be a strategic resource area.

Culham – Clifton Hampden

Overriding Constraints:
Scheduled Ancient Monuments (significant parts of area)

Other Factors:
Poor accessibility to main road network
Poorly located in relation to main market areas
High grade agricultural land (over half of area)
Buffers required to settlements (Culham and Clifton Hampden)
Some birdstrike concerns, but should be manageable
Margin required to River Thames and Thames Path
Liable to flood (small part of area adjacent River Thames)
Accessibility and proximity to markets would be good if area could be accessed across River Thames, from Sutton Courtenay site, e.g. by conveyor attached to railway bridge, but great uncertainty about possibility of this.

Estimated sand and gravel resource unconstrained in principle: 8 million tonnes

Conclusion: Poor accessibility and location make this area an undesirable location for a strategic resource area, and the prospect of access across the River Thames from Sutton Courtenay is too uncertain to be relied on to overcome these constraints.

Appleford – Little Wittenham

Overriding Constraints:
Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (significant part of area)
Scheduled Ancient Monuments (substantial parts of area)
County Wildlife Site (small part of area)

Other Factors:
Very poor accessibility to main road network
Well located in relation to main market areas
High grade agricultural land (most of area)
Significant buffers required to settlements (Appleford, Long and Little Wittenham)
Some birdstrike concerns, but should be manageable
Significant margin required to River Thames and Thames Path
Local landscape designation (over half of area)
Liable to flood (small part of area adjacent River Thames)
Accessibility would be good if area could be linked to Sutton Courtenay site or accessed directly from the A4130 at Didcot, but uncertainty about possibility of either being satisfactorily achieved.

Estimated sand and gravel resource unconstrained in principle: 6 million tonnes.

Conclusion: Combination of large number of constraints and poor accessibility make this area an undesirable location for a strategic resource area, and the prospect of achieving satisfactory access from Sutton Courtenay or A4130 is too uncertain to be relied on to overcome the access constraint.

Wallingford – Cholsey – South Moreton

Overriding Constraints:
Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (substantial part of area);
Areas of National Archaeological Importance (small parts of area within AONB)

Other Factors:
Good accessibility to main road network
Well located in relation to main market areas
High grade agricultural land (about half of area)
Significant buffers required to settlements (Cholsey and Brightwell)
Very strong birdstrike constraint – under RAF Benson flight path
Local landscape designation (whole area)
Liable to flood (small parts of area along watercourses)
Birdstrike constraint could only be overcome by dry restoration, but high level of uncertainty over acceptability of infilling, availability of infill material and feasibility of creating dry restoration without infill.

Estimated sand and gravel resource unconstrained in principle: 11 million tonnes (excluding birdstrike constraint)

Conclusion: Very strong birdstrike constraint makes this area an unsuitable location for mineral working, and the prospect of dry restoration being achievable and acceptable is too uncertain to be relied on to overcome this constraint.

Oakley Wood

Overriding Constraints:
Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (whole area)

Other Factors:
Not fully assessed in view of overriding AONB constraint

Estimated sand and gravel resource unconstrained in principle: Nil

Conclusion: The Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty designation is an overriding constraint on mineral working over the whole of this area; it is most unlikely that large-scale working of sand and gravel would be acceptable within the AONB. 

Caversham (north of Sonning Eye)

Overriding Constraints:
County Wildlife Site (small part of area)

Other Factors:
Poor accessibility to main road network
Very poorly located in relation to main market areas  in Oxfordshire 
High grade agricultural land (about half of area)
Buffer required to settlement (Sonning Eye)
Significant margin required to River Thames and Thames Path
Local landscape designation (whole area)
Liable to flood

Estimated sand and gravel resource unconstrained in principle: 11 million tonnes

Conclusion: The very poor location of this area in relation to the main market areas in Oxfordshire, being isolated from and with poor road links to most of southern Oxfordshire, make this area an undesirable and inappropriate location for a strategic resource area.

Stadhampton – Berinsfield – Warborough – Benson

Overriding Constraints:
Scheduled Ancient Monuments (significant parts of area)
Other Areas of National Archaeological Importance (significant part of area)

Other Factors:
Good accessibility to main road network
Well located for Oxford but not so well located in relation to other main market areas
High grade agricultural land (most of area)
Significant buffers required to several settlements (particularly Drayton St Leonard, Warborough and Benson)
Some birdstrike concerns, but should be manageable – increasing concern towards Benson
Margins required to River Thame
Ecological interest along River Thame floodplain
Local landscape designation (most of area)
Liable to flood (River Thame floodplain)

Estimated sand and gravel resource unconstrained in principle: 12 million tonnes

Conclusion: Whilst this area is significantly affected by some important constraints, it contains a large sand and gravel resource that is unconstrained in principle from which it should be possible to define sufficient specific sites for working through the Minerals and Waste Local Plan Review.  Although the area is not ideally located to serve all the main market areas of southern Oxfordshire, this is not a sufficient disadvantage to make it an unsuitable location for a strategic resource area.