Grove, East Challow
Amending the boundary of Grove parish to include Grove Business Park, currently in East Challow parish.
Residential properties moving from one parish to another
No.
Impact on district and county council boundaries
Affects Grove North and Ridgeway district wards
Affects Grove and Wantage and Shrivenham county divisions
Grove Parish Council put forward the proposal.
East Challow parish council objects to the proposal. The reasons are set out in the engagement summary document.
Summary of other responses
These are set out in the engagement summary document.
To consult on a proposal not to include Grove Business Park within Grove parish.
Grove Parish Council has provided the following reason in support of the proposal:
“That the Grove Business Park is transferred to the Parish of Grove from East Challow Parish – The only route into the Business Park is through Grove Parish, at no point does the road leading to the Business Park go into East Challow Parish. Some of the Business Owners already associate themselves with being located in Grove Parish”.
The proposal to alter the boundary has been considered and rejected by the council on two previous occasions. As part of the 2013/14 district wide Community Governance Review Grove Parish Council requested the change. At its meeting on 16 July 2014, Council resolved to reject the request and make no changes to the boundary in line with the views of East Challow Parish Council that:
“in accordance with the assessment criterion that boundaries be aligned with defining natural or structural features, alignment of the parish boundary with Downsview Road should be retained. Further, that it would be logical to straighten the parish boundary to align with the section of Downsview Road from the northeastern corner of the Crown Packaging site east to the Denchworth Road/Mably Way roundabout, thus incorporating Stockham Farm (‘Letcombe Fields’) within this parish.”
In resolving not to amend the boundary Council asked the Community Governance and Electoral Issues Committee to consider undertaking a further review after the elections in May 2015.
In 2016 this committee agreed to undertake a further review of the matter in accordance with the decision of Council made on 16 July 2014. At its meeting on 14 August 2017 the committee agreed “to consult on a draft proposal not to amend the boundary of Grove parish to include Grove Technology Park (currently in East Challow)”. Following consultation on this draft proposal the committee resolved not to include Grove Technology Park within Grove Parish.
Officers do not consider that circumstances have changed since the decision of Council in 2014 and this committee in 2017. The current boundary offered by Downsview Road represents a good man-made structure. However, a boundary fence, whilst effective in its current position, is not a permanent structure. In addition, the proposal to include the Business Park within Grove parish does not impact on any properties and therefore does not impact community identity.