BUILDING thousands of new homes in Culham, Chalgrove and Wheatley is the ‘best way’ to tackle the urgent need for housing.

South Oxfordshire District Council made the claim ahead of publishing the final draft of its local plan next month.

Residents will be able to comment on it before it is submitted to the Government later this year.

Culham could get 3,500 homes, Chalgrove Airfield would have 3,000 and Brookes University Wheatley Campus could also become housing.

SODC leader, John Cotton, said: “There’s no silver bullet solution when talking about building thousands of houses in a rural district.

“But we are very confident our local plan represents the best possible balance of homes in effective, sustainable locations, supported by the right infrastructure in a way that protects and enhances what’s best about South Oxfordshire.”