RESIDENTS in a north Oxfordshire village have hit out at “disgraceful” plans for 95 new homes.

They said the proposal for land west of Oxford Close in Kirtlington, north of Kidlington, would put a strain on roads and services.

More than 80 residents have written to Cherwell District Council about the Gladman Developments Ltd plan.

Kirtlington Parish Council said it “strongly objects” and a survey of residents found 87 per cent wanted developments of no more than 50 homes.

Its official response to the district said the homes are “disproportionate to the size and scale of Kirtlington” as it is outside the village boundary.

The parish council said Cherwell District Council’s local plan of where major estates should go earmarks just 18 homes for the village to 2031.

A second primary school would have to be built as Kirtlington Primary School cannot be expanded any more, it said.

It also said “a development of this size cannot be accommodated using the existing sewage system”.

Access from Lince Lane is not safe as some vehicles turning in would have a “wholly inadequate” line of sight because of the brow of a hill, it added.

Oxfordshire County Council – responsible for roads – said it “fails to demonstrate appropriate and safe access” over visibility.

Yet its education officers did not object and said developer cash could expand the primary and Marlborough School to take extra children.

Residents from the village – which had a population of 988 in the 2011 Census – have written to the district council to oppose the plans.

Pound Close resident Sylvia Oldcorn said: “The scale of the proposed development is too large for a village the size of Kirtlington.

“The roads are already congested and at times dangerous, particularly as there are many small children and elderly people using the roads, and is therefore dangerous to pedestrians.”

Amanda Reevell, of Akeman Street, said the proposal “would profoundly affect the integrity of Kirtlington”.

She said: “It is a disgrace that a firm like Gladman Developments Ltd should even consider an application in a village like Kirtlington.”

However, the firm’s application said the site would be screened by hedges and trees and would include a pond and a ditch for drainage.

It said a study funded by Oxfordshire councils into housing need – the Strategic Housing Land Availability Assessment (SHLAA) – found the site has “potential for residential development”.

Its application said: “The purpose of this application is to satisfy national housing supply requirements. This application would help address the shortfall of housing within the district.”

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