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Threats to the Lye Valley

Storm water

The surface water from at least 46 roads drains into the Thames Water diameter outfall pipes entering the Lye Brook at the head of the valley.

How you can help the Lye Valley rare wetland if you live in Headington::

Churchill Hospital: new Clinical Biomanufacturing Facility approved

In February 2025 the Oxford City Planning Committee approved the University of Oxford's application for a new development just 82m from the Lye Valley SSSI's fen’s high level west side springs:

New laboratory application for Old Road Campus

Back in 2013 outline planning permission was granted for five plots covering 48,000 square metres on the Old Road campus. Three of the buildings are up and running, one is being built, and this final full planning application has now been submitted for the Research Centre for Pandemic Sciences:

Proposal for construction of college, new hospital,
and research facility on the Warneford site

The planning application has not yet been submitted, but this proposed major development costing £500 million may impact on the Lye Valley:

Warneford Park website with full details of what is proposed. It includes:

  • Construction of a new mental health hospital to replace the existing Warneford Hospital
  • Construction of a new research facility
  • Construction of a new postgraduate medical college of the University of Oxford and association accommodation
  • Refurbishment and conversion of the current mental health hospital for use as part of a the above new college.

The first consultation closed on 30 September 2024. The second consutation took place with three drop-in exhibitions in early December 2024:

No planning application has yet been submitted

Scoping Opinion request relating to this development

On 22 May 2023 the Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust submitted the following Scoping Opinion request to Oxford City Council planners relating to this proposed development:

The planners decided on 2 October 2023 that the Warneford plans constituted EIA (Environmental Impact Assessment) Development and that an Environmental Statement would be required, particularly relating to the Lye Valley SSSI: see the twelve-page Decision under the Documents tab in the above link. The planners state:

Flooding (fluvial, surface water and groundwater)
The site is within 750m of the Lye Valley SSSI which is highly sensitive to changes in hydrology and groundwater, containing rare peats deposits within the City. Due to the size and nature of the development this has a high potential to significantly impact on this sensitive receptor;

Impact on water quality and hydrology
As above

Impact on the Ecology
As above and in addition the potential impact on identified Protected Species within the site.

Press reports
Land west of 75 Town Furze: planning application pending

A third planning application has been submitted for this land, which is directly above the Lye Valley South Fen. It has been “awaiting decision” since October 2022:

Dynham Place development: approved

This planning application for the “erection of 2 x three-bed semi-detached dwellinghouses (Use Class C3). Provision of bin and cycle storage and alterations to landscaping” was approved on 20 July 2021

Warren Meadow development: approved

This application to build ten three-bedroomed houses on the land to the east of Warren Crescent directly above the Lye Valley was approved on 30 March 2016, and building work started on Monday 24 September 2019 (the day the last planning application relating to conditions imposed by that permission was approved).

Local Transport Plan for Headington

The consultation by Oxfordshire County Council on its “Connecting Oxfordshire: Local Transport Plan 2015–2031” closed on 2 April 2015.

This plan included new hospital routes for the “eastern arc” (from Cowley to Headington), and this more detailed drawing showed a road running along Lye Valley road in a northwards direction and then across the Lye Brook. Judy Webb believes that this would be a disaster for wildlife in the Lye Valley.

 

© Friends of Lye Valley, 2013–2022