VILLAGERS in Brize Norton say they’ve been left in the dark about a masterplan that may see their parish boundaries eroded.

Residents attended Carterton Town Council’s annual general meeting on Monday when the council gave them a first glimpse of a masterplan for development up to 2031.

The plan outlines housing developments, employment sites, sports facilities and retail spaces that could be built.

But many in Brize Norton fear the plan could see Carterton expand across their village’s boundaries, eroding the space between the two settlements.

Brize Norton parish councillor Selwyn Shorrock said Carterton town Mayor Lynn Little refused to answer questions about the plan or its cost.

Mr Shorrock said: “There was a presentation and we were allowed to ask questions but the mayor wasn’t going to answer them.

“They claim they have consulted us but they haven’t and they claim they are going to have a consultation now but we’re wondering if it’s actually going to be a consultation or whether they are just going to say what they are going to do and do it anyway.

“Carterton has expanded to its current limits and now needs to expand outside its current boundaries.

“The developments are going to be in somebody’s parish whether it’s Brize Norton or Shilton or somewhere else.

“We really don’t like the idea of our parish just being taken over by this large neighbour.”

The masterplan contains suggestions of where developments might go up to 2031 and fits in with developments that are already included in West Oxfordshire District Council’s emerging local plan.

It contains plans for 1,000 homes to the east of the town – 700 of which have already been given planning permission. Space for industrial and housing growth to the north and then eventually to the west of the town are also marked. With money from these new developments it is hoped that a new cemetery, shops, restaurants, a primary school and a community centre will be built.

Town mayor Lynn Little said she refused to answer questions only because the Brize residents would have diverted what was actually an annual town council meeting rather than a planning discussion and because the document was still at such an early stage that consultation was not yet necessary.

She said: “We wanted to give people a short presentation on the masterplan because we wanted people them to be able to see it but as it was an annual general meeting I didn’t want it to be diverted.

“We wanted to give residents a chance to air their views on other issues.”

Ms Little added: “New houses are needed everywhere, not just in Carterton and we need space for new industries.”

Full presentations of the masterplan will be taking place at Carterton Community Centre on Thursday, May 21 from 3pm to 9pm and again on Wednesday May 27 at Carterton Town Hall from 3pm to 7pm.

If feedback is positive the plan could be developed into a full Neighbourhood Plan which if approved by West Oxfordshire district councillors and planning inspectors, could be adopted as official planning policy.

This would allow the town to have a greater influence on planning policy.