FEARS of 'urban sprawl' north of Oxford mean development there must be resisted, a senior city councillor has said.

Liberal Democrat leader on Oxford City Council, Andrew Gant, said building 4,400 homes in the Kidlington gap, Yarnton and Begbroke could ruin the character of both Oxford and the villages.

He said: "We are very concerned about this proposal. We haven’t said we are against building on the Green Belt in all circumstances.

"But this includes places being able to join together. It includes urban sprawl and we’re very concerned the cumulative impact of these proposals could do exactly that.

"We would allocate sites differently."

The homes in Cherwell District Council's area, which is represented by Lib Dem MP Layla Moran in the Oxford West and Abingdon constituency, would be built in an attempt to alleviate Oxford City Council's housing demand.

But Oxford City Council housing boss councillor Alex Hollingsworth, of the Labour Party, said the Lib Dems' opposition was political and backed co-operation with Cherwell.

He said: “In 20-something years of being on or off the council I have never seen a significant project that they have said they would support.

“I would say the expansion is in a Lib Dem constituency. I would say that is a significant thing to do with it.

“Our position is that as a city council the best place to build city homes for Oxford’s housing needs is as close to the city as possible.

"It seems to make no sense to build houses and have everyone commute into Oxford.

“That was a county council policy for years and you can see the effects of it now. It was a mistake then and it would be an mistake now."

Although Oxford City Council's local plan consultation ends on August 25, Cherwell District Council extended its consultation on the development until October.

It pushed the date back after residents criticised a six-week period which fell over the summer holidays.

Lead member for planning at Cherwell District Council, Colin Clarke, said last week: “We recognise the majority of this consultation takes place over the summer holidays when many people are away.

“Therefore, due to the importance of this piece of work and high level of public interest, we have decided to extend the deadline until October to give everyone an opportunity to have their say.”

To comment on the consultation visit cherwell.gov.uk/planningpolicyconsultation