TV presenter Kevin McCloud was in Oxford yesterday to outline his grand designs for the city.

He is heading up the £18m regeneration of three sites, promising more than 100 homes and two community centres.

Yesterday, he met residents at one of the sites, in Barn’s Road, Cowley.

There will be grass on the roof of the 40-flat development, which will also feature bike storage and fruit-bearing hedges and trees.

Beneath the flats will be a community centre and base for the charity Emmaus, but those plans are flexible.

Mr McCloud promised to take all the responses on board and change the site’s design if necessary.

The Grand Designs presenter said: “All the comments written down are put into spread sheets and taken into the consultation process. We’ve got a whole ground floor to figure out and we can respond to what people want.

“It’s great fun to be able to do that.

“They will be very sustainable, very low-carbon homes and very, very cheap to run.

“Oxford has a wonderful new emerging culture of car clubs, local food networks and allotments, and an awareness of social sustainability and community. We feel that here and it’s great. It feels as though we are among friends, not introducing something alien.”

The three sites – Dora Carr Close and Westlands Drive, both in Northway, as well as Barn’s Road – are owned by Oxford City Council. The council handed the land over to the developers, which in return will rebuild Northway and Cowley community centres.

Dora Carr Close will get 41 homes and a community centre, Westlands Drive will get 28 flats and Barn’s Road will get 40 flats and a community centre.

Hab Oakus, a joint venture between housing association GreenSquare and Mr McCloud’s development company Hab, will develop the sites.

The work is likely to start in 2012, with a planning application expected by the end of the year. The work is expected to be completed by early 2015.

Among those giving their views at the site was John Coyle, 71, of Florence Park. He said: “There’s very little space in Cowley at the moment for people to meet socially and they are not giving us an awful lot.”

But Waldin Jackson, 72, of Crowell Road, said: “I welcome the community centre. There’s nowhere to go at the moment. This is a big area and we should have a community centre.”

But he said it was unwise to build flats on top of the space and predicted future residents complaining about noise.

He said: “When we used to have music in [the old centre], the flats across the road complained. I think it should be a community centre and an office block.”

Many residents welcomed the plans, including Maureen Hilsdon, 78, of Liddell Road. She said: “It looks very good actually. It’s time something was done with this area – it’s an eyesore.”

More consultations are due in the future. To find out more, call Richard Grant on 01865 782573.