OXFORD is an example of a city which should be allowed to grow beyond its boundaries, according to a national report.

The Lyons Housing Review was produced by a commission set up by Labour leader Ed Miliband to try to find a solution to the UK’s housing shortage.

Deputy Oxford City Council leader Ed Turner was one of its members.

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The commission’s final report said: “A number of towns and cities face extreme challenges in accessing land to grow to accommodate homes for all the people who work in the area.

“This is the case for those areas with tightly drawn boundaries who must work with their neighbouring authorities to provide enough homes across a housing market area.

“The ability to grow is also restricted by Green Belt land.

“This increases pressure on greenfield sites in these areas and carries with it economic and environmental costs.

“Cambridge, Oxford, York and Bristol are all places that to a greater or lesser extent illustrate these issues.”

The Labour-controlled city council has long wanted to expand beyond its borders – notably to build 4,000 homes on Green Belt land it owns in South Oxfordshire south of Grenoble Road.

Helen Marshall, of the Oxfordshire branch of the Campaign to Protect Rural England, said: “Cities might have the right to expand, but people who live around the city are also entitled to an opinion. We don’t believe that a review of the Green Belt is necessary. It is there as a belt and you cannot keep putting on weight and letting the belt out.”

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