Witney News - Carterton future development

Carterton future development

The Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO) has just notified the Council about a change of plan regarding proposals for new accommodation for service families in Carterton.

It had been the DIO’s intention to provide approximately 780 new family houses by redeveloping the older MoD housing areas (known as Reema North and Reema Central) close to the centre of Carterton.

The Council has been advised that following the Strategic Defence and Security Review these plans have been reassessed and the DIO has now confirmed that they are likely to need only about 200 houses in this area. This means that remaining land previously reserved for this purpose could become available to help meet general housing needs.

This has potentially significant implications in terms of the future development options in the Carterton area presently being considered as part of the Local Development Framework for the district being prepared by the Council.

The LDF document was due to be approved by councillors in March prior to a final round of public consultation. In order to allow time for the full implications of this change of circumstances to be discussed with the DIO and assessed publication of the report and decisions to be made by the Council will now be delayed until May / June of this year.