Description of Cherwell District
3.0 Overview
Cherwell District occupies the northern part of Oxfordshire District covering an area of 58,983 hectares (228 square miles), and borders Warwickshire, Northamptonshire and Buckinghamshire. The district is mainly rural comprising 65,000 households spread over seventy-five Parishes, with two market towns, Banbury and Bicester and the town of Kidlington in the south of the district. The total number of businesses exceeds 3,500, employing over 56,000 people.
The main waterway draining the area is the River Cherwell, which runs from north to south of the district. Other waterways include the Great Ouse bordering the east, the River Ray to the southeast, the Thames tributaries joining from the south, and the River Swere to the west. Padbury Brook and Sor Brook also serve the district.
The Chiltern line and the North-South Banbury to Oxford line are the main railways serving the area along with East West Rail passing through the south of the district. The M40 motorway runs the length of the district.
The landscape includes part of the Cotswolds Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty at Epwell. It also includes three areas of Ecologically Important Landscape, seventeen Sites of Special Scientific Interest (eight of which are geologically important), eighty-nine County Wildlife Sites, fifty conservation areas, two potential County Wildlife Sites and four thousand listed buildings. There are also twelve other Wildlife Sites of importance within the district, two Regionally Important Geological Sites, twenty-nine Scheduled Ancient Monuments, and several important Historic Parks and Gardens, including areas of ancient semi-natural woodland.
3.1 Geology and Topography
Cherwell District forms part of the stone belt which stretches across England from Dorset to the Humber. The rocks date from the Jurassic period and are150 million years old. The underlying strata consists of Lower, Middle and Upper Lias. The district is divided into three distinct types. Ironstone predominates in the north and northwest, consisting of heavy clays and marlstone overlaid with limestone and sandstone. In such areas elevated concentrations of naturally occurring arsenic occur, see section. Across the centre of the district lies a band of oolitic limestone which is part of the Cotswolds. This can be seen as a band of undulating and rising ground. Below this lies an area of lower lying land on Oxford clays, overlain by alluvial deposits associated with the River Thames and River Ray floodplains. This underlying geology gives rise to the landscape today.
In the north of the district lie gentle ironstone hills and small ironstone villages. This contrasts to the flat floodplains and wet meadows in the south. Across the centre of the district lies a band of rolling limestone hills which are an extension of the Cotswolds. Woodland is found throughout the district as are several areas of Parkland. The River Cherwell valley runs down the centre of the district, with the Oxford Canal following its line.
3.2 History of Cherwell District
The historical use of the Cherwell District relates directly to its geology and has resulted in exploitation of minerals for building materials and other purposes. In order to extract the minerals, quarries have been excavated across the landscape to extract ironstone and limestone. One of the main quarries was located at the village of Hornton, to excavate Hornton Stone. This closed in 1942, as have most of the others. Several have been returned to arable land, and some have, and are being used for landfill. Quarries will therefore be an important area of investigation concerning potential land contamination sites.
Building materials from the quarries are evident in the ironstone villages in the north of the district around the Banbury area, and in the limestone villages around Bicester and to the south of the district. In the past, the iron rich fertile soils provided good ground for crop growing. Cattle, sheep and horses were also grazed on the land, and Banbury and Bicester became the market towns for trading agricultural produce. Industries grew up around the towns, including stonemasons and brickyards such as Gilletts Brickyard on the outskirts of Banbury.
Sheep farming led to a big wool trade in the district, with loom industries appearing; also industries such as the knitting factory in Alkerton and weaving and lace making sprang up. Other industries benefiting from the agriculture of the region included Wrench’s Mill in Shutford which produced hand-woven livery, and breweries such as Hook Norton Ales. The Oxford Canal built in 1778, enabled transportation of goods in and out of the area.
The importing of meat and grain in the 1850’s, accompanied by bad harvests, helped lead farming into a period of depression, and many farmers left agriculture or emigrated to countries such as Canada. The building of the railways in the 1850’s had a marked effect on industry, as it allowed goods to be transported easier and further. The coming of the Northern Aluminium Company to Banbury in the 1900’s marked the beginning of industry not related to agriculture, and was followed by General Foods Ltd, (now Kraft Foods) and the Banbury Road Industrial Estate. These industries also led to the town’s population and industrial growth.
Disused railways are often used for the dumping of waste; similarly, used and disused industrial sites may contain contaminated waste. The Cherwell District also contains many allotments which may be a source of contaminants. Because of these reasons, and other opportunities for future development within the district, it is important to identify and remediate any potential land contamination.
There are several current and former military sites in the district such as Graven Hill in Biester and the former RAF/USAF base at Upper Heyford.
3.3 Land owned by the District Council
Land owned by the Council is often linked with sensitive uses and includes allotments, schools, recreational grounds and public open spaces. Additional land use types include offices, depots, sport centres, community buildings, car parks and properties held as investments such as shops or industrial units.
Where land owned by the Council is found to be contaminated, unless a special site, there will be no enforcing authority. The Council will, however, carry out its duties as though they were the enforcing authority. Site prioritisation will be conducted in the same manner as all other sites within the district, ensuring that only the most urgent sites are dealt with first. Site investigation will undergo the same consultations, assessments and appropriate remedial works as necessary.