DEVELOPERS could build 1,400 homes in north Witney if major new plans are given the go-ahead.

The scheme could also pave the way for a West End Link Road, as well as a new primary school, to cater for the estate.

The moves have been welcomed by some community leaders, who see the scheme as a chance to ease the town’s congestion problems.

But warnings have been sounded whether suggested flood alleviation measures will be able to cope with the influx of new houses.

The homes would be built on land near Hailey Road and townsfolk are being asked to give their views.

Oxfordshire County Council’s Witney Transport Study has shown that if the Cogges Link Road went ahead, it would provide infrastructure for 1,000 homes in north Witney.

But if both the Cogges Link Road and the West End Link Road were approved, then 1,400 homes could be built.

Colin Dingwall, West Oxfordshire district councillor for Freeland and Hanborough and chairman of Crawley Parish Council, welcomed the plans.

He said: “We have seen major development over the last 30 years at Thorney Leys and then Deer Park, which provided much-needed infrastructure to the west; also at Cogges and Madley Park to the south and east, which have funded Jubilee Way and The Cogges Link Road.

“Crawley Parish Council has been campaigning for 25 years and are now pleased to see this final development coming forward in the Local Development Framework (LDF), which will finally provide answers to the much-needed infrastructure issues in the north.

“The LDF is a plan which takes us through to 2026, so this is not going to happen quickly, but if we miss this opportunity to provide much-needed infrastructure we will continue to suffer congestion, flooding and pollution in the north for decades to come.”

Developers Gleeson Strategic Land (GSL) and Taylor Wimpey, who were also behind Thorney Lees, have now put proposals out to public consultation.

Scott Chamberlin, managing director for GSL, said: “The proposed scheme and initiatives will greatly enhance not only the infrastructure but also improve living, working and social conditions in a highly sustainable development.

“We believe that our proposal will deliver many positives which are greatly needed by Witney residents.”

Developers say a new road between Woodford Way and West End would create another River Windrush crossing and relieve pollution, congestion and parking problems in the town centre.

Most of the land needed for the road is already owned by the developers.

The development would be built close to Hailey Road, which is prone to flooding, and two per cent would be on the flood plain.

The housebuilders said they would create a drainage system to control any surface water generated by the site.

This could involve building balancing ponds, which store water when it rains and then release it at a controlled rate.

David Condon, of the Witney branch of the Campaign for the Protection of Rural England, and Witney First, was concerned the flood measures were insufficient.

He said: “It seems to me there is a complete disregard for the flooding problem that Witney has at the moment.

“It is the wrong place to develop Witney as it will just add to the flood plain.”