THE need for 100,000 homes across Oxfordshire has been “over-exaggerated” according to countryside campaigners.

A new national study by Campaign to Protect Rural England into housing targets for councils found they were often “arbitrary and inflated” and said local authorities based their plans on “aspiration rather than need”.

It follows targets set by the Government’s Strategic Housing Market Assessment (SHMA), carried out last year, which recommended local authorities build 100,000 more homes between them by 2031.

CPRE Oxfordshire director Helen Marshall said the need for a huge number of homes planned for the county had been “completely over-exaggerated”.

She added: “In our view there is a clear distinction between demand and need. A lot of people would like a five-bedroom house on a big plot of land in the countryside, but not many people actually need that.

“People need affordable housing. What need are we catering for? Building 100,000 homes is not to meet the needs of Oxfordshire residents or build affordable housing.

“People chose to live and work here because of the rural feel to the county and we are in danger of killing that.

“We are not against all growth, we just feel it needs to be more proportional and I think trying to build two Oxfords is going to be extraordinary difficult. There has to be a balance.”

But Oxford City Council leader Bob Price said the council had worked with neighbouring authorities to plan where the city’s housing needs could be met to tackle the backlog of homes.

He added: “Clearly it’s not an exaggeration. The numbers are all carefully thought out.

“If you look at the Local Plans for the district councils and add the numbers up with the additional housing, it states that figure.

“The whole purpose of this is to build communities, not just isolated estates. That involves schools and community facilities.”

A spokesman for Vale of White Horse said: “The Vale Local Plan is being examined by an inspector who will determine whether or not it is sound. Stage two of this inspection takes place in February.”

David Edwards, executive director for regeneration and housing for the city council, said: “Given the increasing pressure on housing in the county over many years, housebuilding in Oxfordshire has not kept pace with the growing need.

“SHMA was undertaken by independent expert consultants, accepted by ministers and all of the Oxfordshire local authorities and endorsed by the planning inspector at the Cherwell examination.”