CAMPAIGNERS in West Oxfordshire have reacted angrily to the news thousands more homes could be built in West Oxfordshire than initially expected.

Last year, the district's Local Plan, which outlines areas for development over the next 15 years, was rejected for not including enough homes.

On Wednesday, councillors therefore approved another one to put out for consultation which allocates more than 5,000 extra homes to be built at towns including Witney, Eynsham, Chipping Norton and Woodstock, bringing the total of new builds to 16,000 by 2031.

The extra homes are made up from the expected demand within the county has well as those from Oxford as there is a lack of space in the city.

During the meeting councillors raised concerns about certain areas allocated within the plan, but the majority voted to approve the changes on the basis having a plan would at least give control of where developers can build.

Council leader James Mills said he wanted to see infrastructure developed in line with new developments. He added his hopes that the Local Plan would help grow the economy in West Oxfordshire.

News of changes to the plan angered residents in Witney, which is set to have the number of proposed homes in the north of the town increased from 1,000 to 1,400.

Campaigners urged West Oxfordshire District Council to reject the latest proposal, warning the changes could see the ‘destruction’ of the town as it is currently known.

Stuart Harrison, of the North Witney Action Group, said: "The Local Plan will create a disastrous future for the town.

"Those Conservative councillors in the parish heartlands who believe this is nothing to do with them need to think again.

"They will have opened the door to seeing rapacious developers sniffing greater profits from their lucrative parishes."

Eynsham Parish Council branded the lack of consultation on the new Local Plan‘appalling’.

1,000 homes could be built to the west of Eynsham and the so-called 'Tilgarsley Garden Village' would include 2,200. The village will bear the brunt of Oxford's unmet need.

Parish council chairman Gordon Beach said: “The district council has not discussed any of this before publishing the plans.

“We accept there is a need for some housing development in Eynsham but do not accept it needs to be on the scale proposed – and if that is the scale they need to sort out the A40.

“Worse than that they have put forward an expression of interest in a garden village in Eynsham which we didn’t know anything about – which is absolutely appalling.

He added: "They seem perfectly happy to ride rough shod over everyone.”

The revised plan will now go to a six-week public consultation before being sent back to council for final approval.