OXFORD'S vision for 2050 will aim to protect its heritage and green spaces but build low-rise apartment blocks to make it an affordable place to live.

The comprehensive Oxford 2050 document will provide a framework for all future decisions - with proposals not fitting in with the vision unlikely to go ahead.

The city's heritage and natural environment will have greater protection and it is hoped Oxford will be an affordable place to live by 2050.

To strike this balance the vision proposed more 'low-rise apartment blocks' in areas such as East Oxford, Headington, Cowley and Summertown and homes built on five per cent of the Green Belt.

Newly-appointed Oxford City Council leader Susan Brown thanked the public for their 'fantastic' response and identified housing and transport as the major challenges.

She said: "The biggest challenge will be housing and our ongoing commitment to provide affordable homes for people who want to live and work in the city.

"It's always been a challenge and we are doing everything we can."

"The other thing is transport, High Street, for example, is a beautiful and historic street but it's full of buses.

"It's better if everyone travels by bus rather than individually in cars but Oxford needs innovative transport solutions.

"With the universities, research bodies, and the likes of BMW and Williams in the county, we have the brains to find these solutions."

She also revealed the document would be updated every four years to take into account changes in technology among other things.

She added: "Ultimately we do not know how technology, global politics or climate change will affect Oxford over the next 32 years, and for that reason the vision will be a living document that we update every four years to reflect current thinking."

Both transport around the city and links with the rest of the country feature.

Liberal Democrat leader for Oxford, Andrew Gant, said: "Transport in 2050 must involve more public provision, and lots of really good quality cycling and walking. The asthmatic wheeze of the internal combustion engine should be a distant memory."

Oxfordshire County Council leader Ian Hudspeth said Oxford would be much better connected in the future.

He said: "More integrated transport networks across the Oxfordshire ‘Knowledge Spine’, to the Oxford-Milton Keynes-Cambridge ‘Growth Corridor’ and destinations like London, the Midlands, Heathrow, and the South Coast Ports will serve to maximise the city’s world-class assets and appeal.”

The city's large student population - expected to grow even more in the coming years - will live mainly in purpose-built accommodation to reduce the demand on the private rental market.

More than 500 people responded as well as businesses and city institutions during the two-month consultation.

The next stage will see residents and organisations asked to see how they could contribute to the aims.

Former city council leader, Bob Price, said: "The response shows how people care about their city.

"People want to see big changes to the housing stock so we can provide homes at a reasonable price.

"It's also important that we retro-fit the existing housing stock to be carbon neutral."

"I'm delighted with the finished vision and it will be a real standard to stick to over the next 32 years to make Oxford the best it possibly can be in 2050."