Science park approved on nature reserve quarry site

A science and technology park is to be built on a former quarry that has been designated a site of special scientific interest.

A petition against development at Wicklesham Quarry ,near Faringdon, gained more than 4,900 signatures.

However, De Montalt Life Sciences said its plans would deliver "jobs, investment and long-term environmental stewardship".

Oxfordshire County Council approved the outline application by six votes to five at a meeting on Monday, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

The county council took the decision rather than Vale of White Horse District Council, the local planning authority, because the site used to be a quarry.

Spencer Cooper, who spoke on behalf of the applicant, told the meeting: "This isn't sprawl or speculation. It's a carefully contained regeneration of a former quarry that Faringdon itself chose."

Town councillor Mike Wise said the development was "an opportunity to increase the employment prospects of Faringdon residents and return prosperity to our town".

However, Oxfordshire County Councillor Emma Markham, a Green Party member, said the site contained "unique fossils and valuable biodiversity that would be irreversibly harmed".

She added: "The site would be separated from Faringdon by one of the most dangerous roads in the country, and the additional industrial traffic would inevitably increase congestion and the risk of accidents."

Full details of what the site will be used for will be determined in a future application.

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