Battle lines have been drawn in the fight to build on Oxford's Green Belt.
Oxford City Council says it has exhausted every last space in which to put new houses, but organisations such as Oxford Preservation Trust claim there is still land which could be redeveloped.
The redundant 10-acre Littlemore Hospital site, land near the Peartree park and ride and Oxford Science Park are just three potential sites where 6,500 houses could go, the trust says.
Oxfordshire County Council's Draft Structure Plan, which is being examined in public this week, says Oxford should make space for 6,500 homes, but the city says it can only accommodate 6,053, with the remaining 500 having to go in Green Belt land south of Grenoble Road. City council planner Laura Goddard said: "We have studied the city in a lot of detail to find where sources could come from and at the moment we feel we have reached our capacity."
Opponents say that lumping houses in Green Belt land would open the floodgates and set a precedent for future development. But the city council is determined to push on with building around the edge of the city - a policy council leader Alex Hollingsworth believes is crucial for the economic future of Oxford. Earlier this year, the city council was praised by the Government as a local authority that helped to protect green spaces, and the council will now attempt to use this to suggest there is no alternative than to turn to the Green Belt for new housing.
Spokesman for the preservation trust Steven Sensecall said: "There is no doubt Oxford is a very strong economy and there is a significant amount of committed employment land yet to be taken up. There are sites within the built-up area of the city that can come forward and ensure the viability and buoyancy of Oxford can be maintained."