Primrose Gardens at Valley Park

Primrose Gardens is our first phase at Valley Park and has been designed to create a focal entrance at the northern gateway to address the arrival to the wider Valley Park. Primrose Gardens will provide 246 dwellings with a mix of 1 and 2 beds apartments, and 2-4 bed houses. There will also be 35% affordable dwellings. There are three distinctive characters areas at Primrose Gardens- Northern Gateway/Central Core, Core Primary and Secondary and the Green Edge. The dwellings have been designed with architectural treatments featuring a palette of materials that helps to create a cohesive architectural style.

The retention of the existing hedge row, with the provision of local equipped area of play to the southern public open space is a great feature. There are important footpaths and cycle links to the northern and southern boundaries making it easier to move round the Primrose and the future development.

The scheme has a fully integrated landscape structure to routes and block edges with a strong linear tree-lining of the principle street. The development has been integrated into its landscape, reducing its impact on nature and reinforcing local natural diversity as well as distinctiveness. A selection of native and ornamental plants will be included in the landscaped areas to provide benefits to wildlife, and allow residents to appreciate the development aesthetically. There will be biodiversity enhancements incorporated within some of the proposed houses. This will include bat and bird boxes as well as bug hotels and bee bricks.

Taylor Wimpey and our consortium partners have jointly prepared a development masterplan for the proposed scheme.

This has been shaped by workshop groups with the local authority and community and takes into account the constraints and opportunities of the development area.

The key elements of the development proposal are as follows: 

• Up to 4,254 new homes, 1,489 of which will be affordable
• Two mixed-use local centres
• Community buildings
• 2 primary schools and land for a special needs school
• Green infrastructure including formal and informal open space
• Sports pitches
• Children's play areas
• New pedestrian and cycle routes
• Allotments

The proposed development covers an area of approximately 178 hectares and is located south of the A4130, west of Great Western Park.

A number of detailed technical assessments have been carried out as part of the pre- and post-application process to ensure that our proposals identify and mitigate where possible any effects of the proposed development. The studies include:

• Flood risk assessment and drainage strategy
• Access and transport arrangements, together with comprehensive traffic modelling for the area local to the site
• Landscape and ecological surveys
• Topographical surveys
• Landscape and visual assessment
• Heritage and archaeological assessments

We held a community meeting focused on our approach to sustainability and biodiversity at Valley Park. The meeting was held at Harwell Village Hall on the 5th of December 2022. You can download our exhibition boards here. 

We value comments from local people and listen to all feedback we receive so that we can deliver communities where people want to live.

Taylor Wimpey as part of their Reserved Matters planning permission engaged with a number of key stakeholders to the site, including local residents. We held a Public Exhibition in November 2021 to show the design of Primrose Gardens. View the exhibition boards here. 

We want to deliver new homes and facilities that positively integrate with and enhance the local community.

If our reserved matters planning application is approved we will make a number of financial contributions to Vale of White Horse and OCC which include £1,593,000 towards sports hall and health and fitness provision in Didcot Leisure sub area, £6,138,522 towards Highway improvements and £616,250 for the provision of a new special education needs facility which will be built at Valley Park.

Taylor Wimpey will pay over £31.5 million in contributions.

Ensuring our residents and the local community have access to beautiful green open spaces is a key consideration.

Not only will Valley Park have areas of open space but will also provide five LEAPS (local equipped areas for play), a NEAP (neighbourhood equipped area for play) and MUGA (multi-use games area). There will also be allotments provided.

* Dates subject to change