Green Belt homes in five years
Thursday 30th August, 2007
Bulldozers could appear on Green Belt land south of Oxford to start work on a massive housing estate within five years.
As revealed in the Oxford Mail, a 370-acre site on land south of Grenoble Road, which is jointly owned by Magdalen College and Thames Water, could easily take 4,000 homes.
Planning inspectors have thrown out Oxfordshire County Council's claims these homes could be built elsewhere and, in effect, have given the green light for an urban extension.
By 2026, the county has to find room for 54,600 homes, under projections contained in the South East regional plan.
Charles Young, the senior bursar of Magdalen College, said construction work would need to start within five years. He added: "It seems the inspectors wanted to inject momentum into the process and avoid delay.
"We have always argued for a selective review of the Green Belt, rather than a general one."
The proposed settlement would stretch from Sandford-on-Thames to Greater Leys and involve the construction of a multi-million pound sewage works to replce the existing Thames Water site near the Kassam Stadium.
Oxford City Council's chief planning officer, Michael Crofton-Briggs, said: "The city council has consistently argued there should be a review of the Green Belt and an increase in housing numbers, especially affordable housing.
"There is a desperate need for housing in and around the city."