FAQs

What is a garden village? 

Garden villages are not new and have been around since the 19th century when places like New Lanark, Saltaire, Bournville and Port Sunlight were built as self-contained new communities, providing good quality housing, access to green space, fresh air and community activities and facilities. In recent years, there has been a renewed interest in garden communities and how they can play a role in delivering growth in a sustainable, healthy and inclusive way. 

Where is the Salt Cross Garden Village? 

The garden village site is located to the north of the A40 near Eynsham, as indicated on the map below. The location of the site means it is well placed in relation to key transport links and Oxford City. 

Why is the village needed?

The Government has committed all councils to building a certain number of homes in a certain period of time to meet national housing demand. The garden village is being brought forward to help Oxford City Council, which does not have enough housing land, to meet its identified needs. Each of the Oxfordshire local authorities are assisting Oxford and the garden village is West Oxfordshire’s main contribution, together with some further planned housing to the west of Eynsham. 

How many houses are proposed? 

The garden village will be made up of around 2,200 new homes, including 50% affordable homes consisting of both rental and low-cost home ownership opportunities. 

What sort of housing will be included in the development?

A broad range of housing needs will be catered for, including those wishing to self-build or self-finish their own home, families looking to step onto or progress up the housing ladder, essential local workers and older people looking for adaptable or specialist accommodation. 

Housing delivery will be achieved as far as possible through the use of modern methods of construction and will be closely linked to the delivery of schools, transport infrastructure and open space.

How will the garden village meet the housing needs of local people?

We want to make sure our residents, in particular our young people, have access to affordable housing. The garden village will include affordable homes both for rent and for sale. Some affordable homes are expected to be provided on all new housing sites of over 10 houses. It is also vital we meet the needs of an ageing population. This could include bungalows, easy access homes, sheltered/supported housing and wheelchair accessible homes.

Is there a developer on board? 

Grosvenor Developments Ltd. has been appointed on behalf of a number of the landowners to take forward an outline planning application for the garden village. 

How can I get involved with the development? 

We have a group of local people, stakeholders and councillors that come together as a Community Forum. They have been involved in helping us to shape the village and make sure that the community’s voice is heard. 

The forum aims to facilitate: 

• Open and honest discussions with communities and partner representatives about the garden village
• Listening and responding
• Everyone playing their part in delivering an ambitious programme of change to create a place that people are proud of
• Real positive outcomes for people

I want to be a part of the Community Forum but I haven’t attended the previous ones. Is it too late to join?

The Community Forum includes representatives from local community groups, organisations and councillors. If you are part of a local community group that has not previously attended, please get in touch with us to register for upcoming events. If you are part of a local community group or organisation that is represented at the Forum already, speak to your representative.

You can register your interest by emailing ********

How will you build a strong and sustainable community?

We will create a strong and successful new community which is planned with people in mind, not just buildings and spaces. 

We will do this by making sure that we foster a strong local vision by engaging the community throughout the process. To ensure community cohesion we will invest in supporting infrastructure, minimise disruption to residents and ensure that existing services and facilities are not put under unreasonable strain.

We will also ensure that long-term maintenance and stewardship arrangements are put in place for the lifetime of the garden village in consultation with, and for the benefit of, the whole community.

How will the garden village tackle climate change?

We will make sure that climate change is at the heart of every decision we make when developing the garden village. This means that every building, street and space will be designed with sustainability at the forefront of our thinking. 

We will design buildings fit for the future, making sure that the impact of Salt Cross on climate change is mitigated by achieving net zero-carbon development. We will do this  through 100% use of low and zero carbon energy and materials, with no reliance on fossil fuels. 

We will minimise the impact of waste and move towards zero waste wherever possible.

What will make Salt Cross different from other housing developments?

We are very proud of the innovations planned for Salt Cross and have great ambition to deliver a village that is truly sustainable and caters for the needs of its residents. The most important elements that we want to deliver are listed below.

• All new buildings to be ‘zero carbon’. 
• No fossil-fuels (e.g. oil and natural gas) to be used for space heating, hot water or cooking. 
• 100% of the energy consumption required by the buildings on-site to be generated through renewable sources such as solar PV. 
• Development to embed the concept of the ‘circular economy’ which aims to keep resources in use for longer, minimise waste and maximise re-use, recycling and recovery. 
• A focus on the protection and enhancement of the garden village’s ‘natural capital’ as a first line of defence against climate change. 
• The protection and provision of woodland and trees to reflect the wider setting of the site within the former Royal Hunting Forest of Wychwood and to enable and encourage carbon capture. 
• Delivery of around 2,200 new homes with a well balanced mix of property types, tenures and sizes to meet a broad spectrum of housing needs. 
• 50% affordable housing with a mixture of different opportunities for people to be able to rent and own their own homes with a focus on ‘genuine affordability’. 
• 110 self and custom-build opportunities distributed in small, attractive clusters across the garden village site. 
• A new science and technology park providing around 80,000m2 of modern, well designed and sustainably constructed business space set in an attractive, landscaped environment. 
• Use of new and emerging technologies to enable ‘smart’ living and working within the garden village, embedding the concept of the ‘living lab’ at the heart of the development. 
• Creation of new community meeting spaces and facilities including opportunities for ‘co-working’. 
• A new, integrated transport hub to the west of Cuckoo Lane, incorporating a park and ride with 850 parking spaces and bus priority measures along the A40, enabling convenient access in and out of Oxford. 
• A combination of new and enhanced crossing points along the A40 to include a new underpass and potentially in the longer-term a new bridge to ensure strong connectivity and integration with Eynsham, including safe routes to school. 
• A new pedestrian and cycle route to Hanborough Station along Lower Road to provide convenient and safe access by rail into central Oxford and beyond, taking advantage of future planned improvements to the Cotswold Line and Hanborough Station. 
• All new homes will have access to an electric vehicle charging point. 
• Establishment of a ‘car club’ to enable people to have regular and convenient access to ‘pool cars’ when they need it and help minimise the need for car ownership.