A DEVELOPER has progressed proposals for a 1,000 home development to the west of Witney with a fresh planning application.

Persimmon Homes has applied to West Oxfordshire District Council to build 60 homes on land off Downs Road.

The application forms part of wider plans to build 1,000 homes on the land by Persimmon, Bloor Homes and Bovis Homes, which were granted outline permission two weeks ago.

Those overarching plans include designs for a business park, shops, cafes, a primary school and new parks.

Persimmon’s initial application is for part of a parcel of land on which the developer is seeking to build a total of 115 homes.

A total of 69 of the properties will go on the open market while 46 will be affordable.

Barton Wilmore has acted as master planner for for the 1,000 home project. A WODC planning committee approved the plans in 2013, but legal agreements between the council and applicant were only resolved earlier this month.

A minimum of 30 per cent of the housing will be affordable and provision is made for an 80-unit care home comprising 40 affordable units.

With the A40 to the south of the site and Downs Road to the west, infrastructure improvements will include a new roundabout joining the two roads.

Some councillors have raised concerns about the plans, suggesting that pressure must be kept on developers to ensure infrastructure is improved to handle such a large influx of new homes.

Jim King, former mayor of the town and councillor for Witney’s west ward, said residents had been expressing real concerns over infrastructure, particularly in terms of roads and healthcare provision.

The three developers will have to submit more detailed applications, which will include things such as house layout, to the district council before progressing.