LAND NORTH OF BURFORD ROAD, WITNEY

Located at the gateway into the most sustainable settlement in West Oxfordshire, the land north of Burford Road has the potential to deliver a mix of up to 450 new homes, including affordable housing, to meet local needs, in addition to high-quality public open space and green landscaping.

The site offers the opportunity to develop a logical extension for Witney within a sustainable location that benefits from good pedestrian and cycle travel links, as well as public transport routes, to Witney town centre, and within close proximity to existing public services and employment opportunities.

West Oxfordshire District Council has identified Witney as a sustainable growth area through its emerging Local Plan, and our proposals for the site align with that vision.

Mac Mic Strategic Land is committed to ensuring that the land north of Burford Road will be a high-quality development and that meets its full potential as an addition to Witney.

MEET MAC MIC STRATEGIC LAND

Mac Mic Strategic Land is an award-winning, fourth-generation family-owned UK land and property company, established in 1925. The company is deeply rooted in family values and a long-term vision, with an average team service length of 11 years, more than double the UK average. Mac Mic Strategic Land is dedicated to providing high-quality homes and building enduring communities.

For a century, Mac Mic Strategic Land has been committed to acting responsibly towards its communities, partners, and people — aiming to deliver positive change and sustainable development. The company supports local communities and charities, and is considerate of the environment. This commitment is reflected in their recent Building with Nature (BwN) excellence award for a site in Somerset, which showcases best practices in creating spaces that promote wildlife, wellbeing, and water management.

As part of its Environment, Social & Governance (ESG) strategy, Mac Mic Strategic Land has pledged to donate a minimum of 2% of net annual profits to the Mac Mic Foundation. The Foundation focuses on supporting causes and projects that have a lasting impact on local communities, including funding for environmental projects, sports and play infrastructure, new cycle paths, and equipment for schools. As part of its Centenary, Mac Mic Strategic Land has set a target of raising at least £100,000 for its partner charities.

THE SITE AND THE SURROUNDING AREA:

The site covers 22.55 hectares of agricultural land adjacent to Burford Road (B4047), divided into four fields.

It is bordered by Hill Grove Farm to the north, Dry Lane to the east, and Burford Road to the south, with no public rights of way crossing it.

The site has substantial frontage onto Burford Road, allowing for multiple access points, including two vehicular priority junctions and separate emergency access.

There is potential for new and improved connections to the National Cycle Network and improved pedestrian and cycle access through collaboration with adjacent developers.

WHAT ARE WE PROPOSING?

Witney’s location brings about a range of advantages, distinguishing it as the most sustainable location for new homes in West Oxfordshire. The town boasts a range of employment opportunities and good access to services, all accessible via walking and cycling links or public transport.

Up to 450 new energy-efficient homes:

New homes, of which at least 40% will be affordable, will be designed to reflect local characteristics and preferences, improving accessibility for first-time buyers and offering a variety of housing types, tenures, and sizes for all stages of life and to meet diverse needs and lifestyles. Super-fast broadband and electric vehicle charging points will be provided to all properties, enabling residents to work from home.

Around 50% of the Site will be Enhanced Green Space:

The proposed development will feature publicly-accessible play areas and green spaces, connecting with nearby woodlands to enhance ecological recovery and promote biodiversity. These areas will balance nature conservation with recreational amenities for residents.

Tree-lined streets and small-scale ecological interventions, such as hedgehog doors and bird and bat boxes, will be integrated into residential zones to support wildlife.

Overall, the proposed development will achieve a minimum of a 10% net gain in biodiversity (BNG) through the creation and enhancement of habitats valuable to protected and notable species.

HOW WILL NEW AND EXISTING COMMUNITIES IN WITNEY BENEFIT?

As of January 2025, the West Oxfordshire District Council Choice Based Lettings (CBL) list stands at over 2,000 properties. The Council recognises that more social rented homes and affordable homes are needed in order to reduce the waiting list, which is under considerable pressure due to housing demand.

Our proposal for land north of Burford Road can help alleviate pressure on the Council's waiting list by providing a policy compliant number of affordable homes to meet local needs.

Enabling Healthy Lifestyles:

The site is conveniently located within a 20-minute walk of facilities and amenities, ensuring easy access to everyday needs. The new community promotes active and sustainable travel through people-friendly streets and green routes connected to the cycle network and serviced by regular bus routes.

A new mobility hub will provide opportunities for healthier lifestyles and travel choices, facilitating easy access to Witney town centre.

Fostering Community and Respecting Local Heritage:

A diverse network of open spaces and attractive streetscapes will provide places for interaction and encourage residents outdoors, alleviating loneliness and enhancing well-being.

Community allotments and orchard planting, a new recreation area and potential community hub will help foster community spirit and belonging.

Designed for Climate Resilience:

The new homes will be built using a fabric-first approach to ensure carbon efficiency, supporting the Council's net zero aspirations in response to the declared climate emergency. The proposals include a robust approach to flood risk and mitigation, with allowances for climate change, ensuring there will be no increase to flooding elsewhere.

All new homes will feature electric car charging points. There will also be usable spaces for cycle storage, promoting sustainable lifestyles.

A New Gateway to Witney:

The suite is uniquely positioned at the western gateway to the town, overlooking the Windrush Valley. Streets and spaces will be arranged to offer views across the valley towards the Cotswolds National Landscape. The development will be sensitively screened in long-distance views by new woodland planting.

DESIGN PRINCIPLES

The following principles will guide the development of the land north of Burford Road to ensure the new community is set within a network of high-quality green spaces, forming meaningful ecological connections to the wider countryside and delivering visual amenity and recreational value for new and existing residents.

Green and Blue Infrastructure (GBI):

Principle 1: Create a development that is well integrated with its surroundings.

Create areas of new tree planting to form ecological connections between existing neighbouring areas of established woodland.
Retain and enhance existing field boundaries to form an established network of green corridors across the site.
Create spaces of differing character and function responding to their location – from allotments and recreation areas at the heart of the development to open parkland on the site’s periphery - capitalising on extensive views outwards.

Sustainable Connections:

Principle 2: Facilitate ease of movement and deliver sustainable travel choices.

Create a clear, legible layout with sightlines outwards towards the wider countryside, imbuing the development with a sense of place.
Enable pedestrian and cycle access eastwards, anticipating future connections through to any future development to the east of the site.
Opportunity to enhance bus stops on the Burford Road to promote usage.
Opportunity to enhance the cycle route running along the southern boundary of the site.
Potential for a new mobility hub.

Character and Vitality:

Principle 3: Create a development with a strong sense of place and identity.

Create distinctive character areas across the site, from a lower density rural edge addressing the countryside to the north, to a higher density urban frontage along Burford Road.
Ongoing investigations have uncovered evidence for a Roman ‘complex farmstead’, which may have originated in the middle to late Iron Age. Whilst no buildings or complex structures were identified, these proposals will celebrate this rich heritage and create a new Village Green with appropriate information boards, public art and cultural references.

HAVE YOUR SAY

Please provide us with your comments by Friday, 4th July 2025

To find out more about our proposals for Land North of Burford Road, you can hear members of our project team delivering a presentation below:

Before the submission of an outline planning application to West Oxfordshire District Council, we want to hear your views.

Hear from the Team:

Please click the button below for a video of the webinar:

In this webinar from Mac Mic Strategic Land, the team explains the proposals for the land north of Burford Road in more detail. After watching the Webinar, we’d love to hear your views on these initial proposals by completing the Feedback Form: