Tory MP Boris Johnson has slammed a high-profile group including an MP, businessmen and university vice-chancellors for wanting to build on the county's Green Belt.
The Oxford Mail revealed on Friday, April 3, that a letter had been sent to Oxfordshire county councillors supporting plans to build 3,000 homes on land south of Grenoble Road in Oxford. The county council meets on Tuesday, April 6, to discuss the plans.
The letter was signed by Oxford East MP Andrew Smith, Oxford BMW managing director Dr Anton Heiss, Oxford University Vice-Chancellor Sir Colin Lucas, Oxford Brookes Vice-Chancellor Prof Graham Upton and Oxford United chairman Firoz Kassam.
But the land falls in Mr Johnson's constituency and he has accused developers and councillors of a "Soviet mentality". He warned them to "keep their hands off" the county's Green Belt. He is also angry that the pressure group did not inform him of their letter before it was submitted.
Speaking exclusively to the Oxford Mail, Henley MP Mr Johnson claimed there were "plenty of empty houses in Oxford" that could be cleared for mass development and feared that this would be the start of "concreting-over" south Oxfordshire.
"It's argued that there are sewerage works and electricity pylons there and that it won't be missed, but that's not the point," he said. "It's the principle that's at stake." Mr Johnson criticised the letter's signatories and stressed his stance was as much for the people of Oxford as for those in his own constituency and other rural areas. He added: "Just who do these people think they are? Their objective is to impose their wish willy nilly on the residents of Oxfordshire. This is anti-democratic and an attempt to ride roughshod over the will of local people.
"Of course I understand the need for social housing, but local people know best what's right for their area. What we're seeing here is a Soviet mentality, with a planning policy trying to be foisted on locals against their will. I'm not saying that the Green Belt should be regarded as sacrosanct. There may come a time when we have to consider breaching it, but what we're seeing here is far too rushed. It's gathering momentum by the day in unseemly haste. A stand has to be made and I'm making it. I guess they knew I wouldn't sign but it would be nice to be consulted about proposals that impact on the area I represent in Parliament."
Mr Smith replied: "It's a grotesque exaggeration to suggest that this would be the start of concreting over south Oxfordshire. The development of this site would relieve pressure from other points of south Oxfordshire, including those represented by Mr Johnson. Residential areas already under pressure in Oxford will not take kindly to his suggestion that intensive development could go up around them."