A 1,200-HOME ‘garden village’ plan at Dalton Barracks has been confirmed as part of plans to house Oxford workers in the surrounding countryside.

Vale of White Horse District Council announced the Shippon base, which the MOD revealed last year would close in 2029, will be used for housing as it gets ready to publish part two of its local plan on October 11.

The district council has agreed to take 2,200 homes on top of its own need to help Oxford meet its ‘needs’ calculated by a government-backed housing assessment.

Along with the 1,200 homes planned for Dalton Barracks, the plan also includes 600 homes adjacent to Kingston Bagpuize with Southmoor as well as smaller sites at East Marcham and East Hanney.

It comes after villagers in Wootton and St Helen Without won a boundary battle with Abingdon in August to keep the barracks within their parishes.

The decision means millions in developer cash to offset the additional pressure on local services and infrastructure from the extra homes will go to the two villages.

Matthew Barber, district council leader, said: “The Vale local plan is a hugely important document which guides how our communities will grow over the coming years. It is absolutely vital we get this right to ensure that homes are built in sustainable locations and with the appropriate infrastructure to support.”

“We’ve already achieved the major hurdle of working to get part one adopted."

The local plan is due to be submitted to a government inspector in early 2018.