A massive housing development in Oxford's Green Belt could yet happen, according to Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott's office.
Yesterday (Wednesday) the Oxford Mail revealed that Oxfordshire County Council ignored the majority of respondents to a consultation on where 8,000 homes should be built between 2016 and 2026. About 2,000 of the 3,000 people who commented said they wanted to see the homes built around Oxford, but the council voted to put them in Bicester and Didcot instead. Oxford City Council has lobbied for development on land south of Grenoble Road arguing it is the most sustainable place to put homes.
A spokesman for the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister said: "Following an Examination in Public the First Secretary of State (John Prescott) does have the power to make changes to the housing numbers in the plan and their distribution across the South East. However, the location of new homes will be decided by local authorities who are ultimately accountable to their electorates in deciding where new homes should be built. Once established, Green Belt boundaries should be altered only exceptionally. There may be circumstances where boundaries have been drawn excessively tightly around existing built-up areas."