Chronicles of Narnia: Nature reserve housing plan dropped
Plans for a development near a nature reserve that inspired The Chronicles of Narnia have been dropped.
The CS Lewis Nature Reserve in Risinghurst, Oxford, was once part of the back garden of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe author. The Wychwood Foundation wanted to build a retreat with nine flats for vulnerable people of all ages. The charity withdrew its proposal after Oxford City Council planners recommended its refusal. It had planned to build apartments to sell, along with 22 parking spaces and an access road from nearby Lewis Close that would run alongside the reserve, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service. The development would also have offered residents a variety of arts-related activities. The Berks, Bucks & Oxon Wildlife Trust described the nearby three-hectare nature reserve as a "tranquil woodland" where the renowned Belfast-born author enjoyed wandering while writing his Narnia series. The development had been opposed by local residents who described it as "an honourable idea... just in the wrong place". A petition against the scheme received more than 4,000 signatures. Oxford City Council planners recommended the proposals were refused, describing them as "unacceptable" on the "rural fringes of Oxford". Related Internet Links CS Lewis Nature Reserve CS Lewis Oxford City Coucil