PLANS for 34 homes that have sparked controversy in Sutton Courtenay have been put on hold after councillors asked for more information.

Pye Homes’ plans for the properties north of Milton Road were deferred by Vale of White Horse District Council’s planning committee on Wednesday.

The decision came after residents gathered outside the district council offices in Abingdon before the meeting to highlight their opposition to the proposal.

They say Pye Homes’ proposed estate will cause over-development and put a strain on local services.

The plans had been recommended for approval, but the committee asked for more information from the developer to consider at its next meeting on May 23.

Milton Road resident Tony Parry, 57, claimed residents had not been given enough time to prepare a proper response to the plans.

He said: “We were initially told it wouldn’t be going to planning committee until May 23. We commissioned our own automatic traffic count because we felt that the information supplied by Pye Homes was flawed.

“Their count was placed at the wrong point in the road and didn’t include any of the traffic going into the estate.

“We feel that the planning office has done us a gross disservice by rushing this to committee. It’s very distressing.”

Chris Doel, 45, also of Milton Road and chairman of Keep Sutton Courtenay Rural group, said: “Our main objection is that there is already an approved plan for 160 homes elsewhere in Sutton Courtenay and that there’s a sense that we’re not really a village any more. We’re just a suburb of Didcot.

“There are also concerns about things like drainage, sewage and traffic safety.”

Pye Homes spokesman Graham Flint said: “The traffic survey was completed in December last year, and accorded with the best practice guidelines for taking such measurements. The survey was taken at the gateway to the village, which is about 10m from the access to the site to take into account speeds of vehicles as well as volume as they enter and exit the village.

“The proposals will provide a traffic calming gateway feature to encourage a reduction in speed from vehicles entering and leaving the village. Designs will be finalised following further consultation by the county council with the parish council.

“A great deal of care and consideration has been put into these proposals to investigate – in great detail – the issues raised by residents and local groups.”