The staircase to the top floor of the Grammar School was removed in the 1960s when people stood a greater chance of getting to the ground floor by falling through the rotten floor than coming back down the stairs. The Bampton Community Archive members have worked incredibly hard to raise funds on the back of the tourism boost from visitors flocking to Bampton to see the this building which was used as the Cottage Hospital in ITV's Downton Abbey. The grant from WODC means the work to bring the whole building into good heart can begin.

A house and field called Long Paddock in Weald Street for sale, offers in excess of £750,000 wanted

Bampton Meadows, a new housing development is to be built by Taylor Wimpey at the bottom of Mount Owen Road on the Aston side. Taylor Wimpey have agreed to pay £1.4 million on local amenities.

Councillors across the political spectrum at West Oxfordshire District Council have agreed that changes to the planning system are not suitable for West Oxfordshire.

For what feels like years and years, WODC have been putting together a Local (housing) Plan and at long last, it was agreed by the governments planning inspectorate. All far too late to stop the speculative developments which WODC could not stop in Bampton which resulted in 160 house in New Road, a further 160 to be built at the bottom of Mt Owen Rd and the fight to stop yet another development between the Aston and Buckland Road continues (as at Sept 2019). A development on the east side of Station Road following on from the two semi detached bungalows has been granted and are being built now (Sept 2019). 7 new dwellings at Weald Manor farm have been built, Glebe Farm farther down Weald Street are building 6 as I write and a 7th will be added to them.
The surgery is at full stretch, no road improvements have been made, people are parking on pavements, some of the new houses in New Road have experienced sewerage back-flows. There are so many cars parked in Bampton now it's nearly always impossible to pass them without causing a motorist coming in the other direction from having to stop and wait

By December 2018 there was growing anger and frustration at many aspects of the new area called Cala Homes also known as Oakwood Gate, along the north side of New Road which had not been finished or done to a good standard. Residents first moved in during 2016 but have had power cuts, snow blowing into their homes, and the same areas of pavement being repaired, poorly, more than once. The article gives far more information

This is a bit of a pipe-dream and it remains (at March 15th 2017) something to be thought about.

Witney Gazette Aug 26th 2015.
A Government inspector, Simon Emerson has been appointed to look at WODC plans for house building in next 20 years.
More detail in the article.

Witney Gazette August 6th 2014. Gladman Homes, previously refused permission to build 127 homes off the Aston road have submitted a new application to build 116 homes instead on the same site. The original application was turned down due to concerns of the risk of flooding.

Campaigners have condemned the xo-called 'no win no fee' policy of a developer behind plans for more than 700 homes on sites across Oxfordshire. 446 are planned for sites in West Oxfordshire. Sites are in Witney and Bampton.