A VISION for Oxford in 2050 has been set out by the council with low carbon affordable houses, transport, employment and tackling poverty high on the agenda.

The ‘broad brush’ blueprint for all future policy has been drawn up after Oxford City Council bosses researched the visions set out by Cambridge and Milton Keynes as well cities abroad.

And residents will be asked for their say on how they think the city should look in 33 years time.

The substance of each aim will be determined in the coming years but the council want the public’s opinion on whether the vision is going in the right direction.

City council leader Bob Price said there were four main areas of concern it was vital to get right for the future.

He said: “The first thing is to have houses of high quality and that they are climate change proof.

“They need to be very low carbon and the right kind of housing for the area.

“We also need a transport system that works as the city develops to be a centre for tourism, retail and business, while not choking society with air pollution.”

He added that it was a ‘scandal’ that 25 per cent of the city’s children were growing up in poverty and the way the city produces energy - with a focus on local production - would be another crucial priority over the coming decades.

Full employment for Oxford residents in a ‘global centre’ of research, innovation, education and health is another of the aims.

The framework also sets out improved transport infrastructure and protection of employment to ensure this will happen.

Oxford Civic Society recently revealed that the city had made ‘slower progress’ than Cambridge and said a shared vision for Oxford and ambition for growth was vital.

Mr Price said: “I don’t think we have been slow but we are not at the forefront.

“It’s not a common thing for cities to do but there are quite a number here and abroad who have done, Freiburg, Grenoble, Cambridge, and we are trying to learn from them.”

The council’s Corporate Plan runs for a further four years and a Local Plan has recently been drawn up to 2036.

This 2050 vision will form the framework for any future policies beyond that and has taken into account much of the Local Plan.

The draft vision will be discussed by the council’s city executive board on Tuesday.

If agreed residents, business and universities will be consulted later this year.