GREEN Belt campaigners believe they have killed off plans for 4,000 homes on the southern outskirts of Oxford.

The Government has for the first time proposed removing the site off Grenoble Road from its South East Plan.

Two months ago, the Oxfordshire branch of the Campaign to Protect Rural England secured a High Court victory against the Government, when it admitted its plan was flawed. Any references to a strategic development area south of Oxford are to be removed from the document, which charts development in the region until 2026.

Oxford City Council believes plans for the homes will still proceed as it is confident a Government review of land in central Oxfordshire will once again pinpoint the Grenoble Road site as the best one.

Alan Jones, chairman of CPRE Oxfordshire, said: “This is a resounding victory.

“The Government has conceded all the points that we challenged.

“With the urban extension south of Oxford now deleted, in responding to the draft order we will want to ensure that these are not just redistributed to south Oxfordshire and that the city addresses its future housing needs within its own boundaries.”

The city council’s head of development, Michael Crofton-Briggs, said: “This is not new, as the Government has admitted it got the process wrong.

“This is another step, but we’re confident when the Government re-runs the process it will still come to the same conclusion, even when it reviews the land in a more thorough way.

“The best option is to select the land south of Grenoble Road.”