Wafic Saïd, 86, the founding benefactor of the University of Oxford’s Saïd Business School, is backing opposition to proposals for logistics and warehouse buildings at Baynards Green, near Stoke Lyne.
According to reports, Mr Saïd has joined forces with Stoke Lyne Parish Council and local campaigners opposing the plans.
The Syrian-born businessman, whose Tusmore Park estate lies close to the proposed development site, is said to have criticised Cherwell District Council for not actively defending its original refusal at the appeal.
Said Business School (Image: Greg Funnell)
The plans are currently the subject of a public inquiry after developers appealed against Cherwell District Council’s refusal of the schemes.
At the inquiry, barrister James Maurici KC, representing opponents including the parish council and the estate, reportedly argued that some of the warehouse buildings could reach up to 25 metres in height and be visible across a wide area of countryside.
According to the Daily Mail, Mr Maurici described Baynards Green as an ‘attractive and sensitive’ area, warning that it provides habitat for numerous protected and priority species.
He said: ‘This is simply not the right place for development of this kind to go.’
‘The government is committed to growth. However, its agenda is not “any development anywhere at any cost”.’
The proposed developments, by developers Tritax and Albion Land, would see around six million square feet of building space constructed on land around the interchange.
The schemes were refused by Cherwell District Council’s planning committee in January 2026 over concerns including their impact on the countryside, landscape and infrastructure. However, the developers have appealed the decision, prompting a public inquiry this month.
A CGI of new warehouses (Image: Cherwell District Council)
Campaigners argue the warehouses would transform a large area of open countryside and increase traffic around one of Oxfordshire’s busiest motorway junctions.
Supporters of the proposals have acknowledged there would be environmental impacts but argue the development would bring economic benefits, jobs and investment to the area.
The plans have proved highly contentious for several years, with earlier residents’ objections from residents raising concerns over increased congestion, harm to the rural landscape and the loss of agricultural land.
Planning officers had previously recommended approval of elements of the development before councillors ultimately rejected the schemes.
Mr Saïd is one of Britain’s best-known businessmen and philanthropists, having donated to Oxford University’s Saïd Business School, and has owned the Tusmore Estate for almost four decades.
The inquiry is expected to run until October, when it will be determined whether the developers can overturn the planning authority’s refusal and proceed with the major logistics development.
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