TWO women protested at a housing development exhibition that aimed to show residents layout plans which if approved will green light a new 502-home estate.
Wallingford residents Sarah Webb and Claire Bird disrupted the exhibition hosted by developers Berkeley Homes on their new housing plans for the north of the A4140 Wallingford Bypass.
The developers were given planning permission by South Oxfordshire District Council, the planning authority, to build the homes named Winterbrook Meadows, in August 2019.
READ MORE: Green light set to be given to GIANT housing estate as layout plans are finalised
However, it was given under the condition that further details of appearance, landscaping, layout, and scale are submitted and approved by the council.
These plans have been finalised and were presented to the community on Tuesday (12) at the town hall where Ms Webb and Ms Bird sat on the floor with placards.
Their placards read: “Business as usual is killing your own children’s future. We are in a Climate Emergency - WAKE UP!”
Ms Webb, who spent a week in prison in May for protesting with the Just Stop Oil campaign group outside a fossil fuel depot in Warwickshire, said: “South Oxfordshire District Council have already given planning permission for the housing development to go ahead.
“But it’s not too late - we, the ordinary people, can still put pressure on the c0uncil to impose things like putting in solar panels, district heating or heat pumps instead of gas boilers.
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“We are in a climate emergency, it’s forecast to be 35C in Wallingford on Monday (18). We just can’t ignore this any longer.
“It’s not enough to tut and complain, we have to actually do something.”
Ms Webb she and Ms Bird were “ignored” by Berkeley Homes staff who “stepped around them” so the pair decided to “calmly state facts” to the people in the room.
After a while, other attendees sat down to join the protestors and expressed their support. Many residents had attended to raise their objections with the developers as well.
Ms Bird added: “Building a house in the mainstream way produces up to 100 tonnes of carbon emissions - it would take 5000 mature trees a whole year to absorb this, and that’s for each house.
“Local housing developments are destroying habitats, biodiversity and blighting the local landscape. It is galling that the new estate will be called Winterbrook Meadows – soon there will be no meadows left”.
READ MORE: 'I do not regret my actions,' says woman who was arrested three times for protesting
Members of the public are encouraged to email their responses to planning@southandvale.gov by September 30 which is when the planning authority aims to make it’s final decision.
If approved, the housing estate will be given the green light and construction of the first 228 homes will commence.
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Read more from this author
This story was written by Gee Harland, she joined the team in 2022 as a senior multimedia reporter.
Gee covers Wallingford, Wantage and Didcot.
Get in touch with her by emailing: Gee.harland@newsquest.co.uk
Follow her on Twitter @Geeharland
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