OXFORD City Council wants to build hundreds of new houses on the site of Southfield golf course.

City planners have identified a number of sites in the city for around 3,000 new homes.

The locations have been earmarked for development after 2016 as a means of coping with Oxford's expected demand for new homes.

These so-called 'safeguarded sites' have been described as "the last of their type" by Michael Crofton Briggs, Oxford City Council's chief planner.

And while sites at Barton and Pear Tree have been mooted as possible locations before, the emergence of Southfield - along with school playing fields in Summertown - as potential sites has caused alarm.

Michael Blight, secretary of Southfield Golf Club - the body that runs the golf course for Oxford City, Oxford Ladies and Oxford University, the three clubs that play there - said: "It's of great concern, not just to me but all of the residents of Oxford who play here.

"This isn't an exclusive club - we have BMW employees, hospital employees and city council employees who are all members.

"We are a very well-established and renowned golf course and a green lung, I don't think they would be too happy to lose out.

"What about building in South Parks - why don't the city council build there? If they can identify this, why not Florence Park or anywhere else?

"It's very simple for politicians to look at a map and say 'that's a big green area' - but the reality is very different."

Meanwhile, half the 17-hectare Summertown site is on playing fields owned by Summer Fields School, in Mayfield Road.

Planners say it is a "sustainable location" for 500 houses because it is close to the district centre with good access to transport and cycle networks.

Mr Crofton Briggs said: "What we have got here for the city is a piece of work in progress.

"There are no decisions in all this. We are simply asking people within the city to say what they think.

"Is now the right time to say there should be development on these pieces of land?

"And if it is, what are the uses that should go there? This land is precious.

"Equally I am aware for a lot of people - myself included - that the green belt is precious, which is why we are looking at a review of the boundary and the release of a small amount of it."

In Barton, the largest area of safeguarded land, 36 hectares of public space and a small area of flood plain adjoining Bayswater Brook, has been identified for 1,200 homes.

Most of the land, which is separated from Oxford by the A40, is low-grade grazing land and includes a large electricity sub-station.

At Pear Tree, the 16 hectares of land is divided by the A44 Woodstock Road.

Summertown city councillor Jean Fooks said: "Pear Tree is a non-starter for houses, it's simply not suitable.

"Barton could accommodate housing and that is going to cause local discussion again, but Summertown has literally appeared this week and it is surprising it's suddenly just cropped up.

"This is something that needs to be looked at, because it would involve land from the school.

"We do have to face up to undoubted need for housing. This is now a fact of life and there will be tough choices "Summertown will see this as a threat and my immediate reaction is 'help'."

Summer Fields School bursar Peter Talbot said: "Over the years the school has bought and sold land. At the moment we are interested and keeping an eye on what is developing, particularly because of the Summertown preference."

Andy Boddington, the Oxfordshire spokesman for the Campaign to Protect Rural England, added: "Every time the city council reviews the capacity for housing in the city, it finds more land for housing.

"If the council focused a little more on housing and a little less on creating extra jobs, we are convinced it could meet all its housing needs for the next 20 years without intruding into the green belt."