Protecting Little Tew's countryside, character & wildlife

Coffee morning at Chippy Flower Farm

An enjoyable visit on 6th September to Chippy Flower Farm, learning about sustainable cut flower production.

Evening walk through the SSSI

On 12th August we had a lovely guided tour of the valley where the SSSI sits. Hares ran ahead of us over ridge and furrow formations, made more pronounced by the recent droughts.

SSSI drainage concerns remain unresolved, ecologists warn

Independent ecologists Bioscan (UK) Ltd wrote to West Oxfordshire District Council raising continued concerns about application 24/01861/FUL (Land NW of Little Tew) and its potential impact on the Little Tew Meadows SSSI. While the applicant's revised ecology report conceded a number of errors — including previously mis-classified and under-valued grassland habitats — Bioscan found the applicant's own hydrology evidence acknowledges a likely groundwater link to the SSSI, with no field testing carried out and no clear plan for managing surface water, foul drainage or treatment-system failure so close to this nationally protected site.

Source: Bioscan (UK) Ltd, Stage 1 response to WODC · Ref DW/E2232/SE-L1

Neighbours renew objection to Chipping Norton Road scheme

A revised application (24/01861/FUL) for a large country house, stables courtyard, solar array, drainage works and a new lake on Chipping Norton Road drew a fresh objection from neighbouring landowners, closely echoing concerns already raised by the Conservation Group. The scheme closely resembles a previous proposal refused by the Council in December 2022 for failing to meet the exceptional design bar required for new countryside homes, and for harming the setting of the Conservation Area — concerns the Group considers remain unaddressed, alongside renewed risk to the Little Tew Meadows SSSI.

Source: Chadwick Town Planning, representation to WODC on behalf of Studio Richter Mahr

Group objects to large self-build dwelling off Enstone Road

Acting on behalf of the Conservation Group, Chadwick Town Planning formally objected to application 24/01521/FUL: a self-build house, pool and pool house on open farmland at the southern gateway to the Little Tew Conservation Area. At 7,922 sq ft, the proposed dwelling is around eight times the size of the average UK home. The objection sets out conflicts with Local Plan and NPPF countryside policy, harm to Conservation Area views, loss of amenity for users of the public footpath crossing the site, and risk to the adjoining Little Tew Meadows SSSI.

Source: Chadwick Town Planning, representation to WODC · Ref ARI001/dc

Magpie Farm survey reveals rich wildflower meadows

A botanical and soil survey of grassland parcels at Magpie Farm recorded healthy populations of Lowland Meadow indicator species — including bird's-foot trefoil, knapweed, salad burnet, great burnet and dropwort — with several fields already qualifying for the Priority Habitat Inventory. The report sets out a positive path forward through careful grazing and, where needed, seed introduction, alongside a proposed Sustainable Farming Incentive scheme — a hopeful example of nature-friendly land management on the doorstep of the village.

Source: FWAG farm ecology & soils survey, Magpie Farm, Little Tew