NEW housing, roads and leisure facilities are needed to improve Carterton, according to a master plan for the next 15 years.

Carterton Town Council is backing the proposal, which it hopes will create much more than a garrison town.

Town mayor Lynn Little said the new blueprint for development, which has been drawn up by the council, will ensure infrastructure improves in line with the expected growth.

The final draft, which is set to be approved by the council on April 21, aims to encourage developers to invest in roads and housing to establish a greater independence from the nearby RAF Brize Norton base.

The plan would begin in 2016 and run alongside the West Oxfordshire District Council Development Plan until 2031.

Mrs Little said: “We have been looked at as a garrison town, but we are not just a garrison town.

“There are more personnel moving from Lyneham to Brize Norton, and we have an increasing population of veterans who want to stay in the area.

“But we have not been afforded the necessary development to support our growth.”

Mrs Little said new roads and housing were priorities and added the town is lacking in facilities for families and elderly residents, as well as sports pitches.

She added: “We need better infrastructure, and the right roads and amenities to support a growing town.

“We feel this plan represents the aspirations of the residents of Carterton.”

Mrs Little called for developers to come forward to fund the building projects the town needs.

She added: “We already have developers interested in the project and the funding should come from them, not from the tax payers.”

West Oxfordshire District Council’s cabinet member for strategic planning Warwick Robinson said: “I fully understand the aspirations of the people of Carterton.

“I believe the town certainly would benefit from an influx of infrastructure, shops and homes.

“The Oxfordshire County Council budget is barely adequate to maintain the current road network, let alone expand or improve it.

“The sort of infrastructure that Carterton is looking for can only be funded by the developer.”

Michael Lowe, 72, retired partner at Michael Lowe and Partners opticians in the town, said: “Carterton is anxious to come up with something that is best for the town, which has been taken as second best for too long.

“I’m looking forward to seeing the new development plans.”