Overview
- West Oxfordshire District Council approved hard surfacing and a permanent 170-space car park at The Farmer’s Dog earlier this month, along with formalised staff parking.
- Planners reported an unusual level of visitor traffic causing congestion in Asthall and on the A40, triggering a requirement for a transport management method statement within six weeks.
- No car-park works may begin until a detailed surface-water drainage scheme is submitted and approved in writing, and access gates must open inward for safety.
- Conditions include keeping the eastern car park’s northern hedge at 1.5 metres with like-for-like replacements for any losses, plus biodiversity steps such as bird and bat boxes and grassland improvements by the beer garden.
- A retrospective application to keep using a nearby field as an overflow car park remains undecided, with the parish raising entrance and pedestrian-safety concerns and the pub relying heavily on car-borne customers.