This site is not currently within easy reach of existing bus routes operating at regular high frequency. It is possible that a new service might be provided along Harbury Lane to the north of the site. Alternatively the existing hourly X18 running to the east of the site offers a much more direct route to the town centre, and might be augmented. We note an application for an initial 220 dwellings, all within 400m of Harbury Lane, is already submitted (W/13/0036/OUT). We can see that the layout affords a potential link to land to the south. The full quantum proposed, alongside proposals to the NE at Woodside Farm, might support the provision of a new local bus service, or a wider network recast to improve local bus frequencies serving the site.
However while in landscape terms this site functions as a unity with proposals to the west in particular, and equally adjoins the urban area, it will be much harder in this area to take advantage of the bus service improvements serving the wider area proposed by WCC. We consider this site less sustainable in terms of making best use of existing bus services, or logical improvements to the local network. We believe developer contributions from this site, and Woodside Farm, would be justified to kick-start a much better frequency of service on the Tachbrook Road corridor serving both this site and Woodside Farm, over and above those already being sought by WCC.