NEW plans have been revealed for a major housing estate right next door to Barton Park – and it will be almost as big.

Christ Church College has unveiled designs for 750 homes to the west of 885-home Barton Park on the A40 Northern Bypass.

The estate would also have new shops and offices and a park or parks, but no plans for a school – which Barton Park will have – have been indicated at present.

But the college faces a host of environmental, historical and social challenges and restrictions on the rural site.

The development would be in the green belt, and as such would contradict national planning policy.

Secondly, there are two public footpaths running across the land and at least two ‘historic’ hedgerows dating to 1703.

The site also is located within the ‘Impact Risk Zone’ of the Sites of Special Scientific Interest at Sidling’s Copse and College Pond and New Marston Meadows.

What’s more the Bayswater Brook Site of Local Importance to Nature Conservation (SLINC) runs along part of the southern boundary.

From a historic point of view, a Roman villa recorded by an archaeological dig in 1849 is thought to be located in the vicinity of the north-eastern part of the site.

Bronze Age pottery has been found in the fields along with ‘the putative route of a minor Roman road’.

The college would also have to take into account the way the massive estate might spoil the views of the Dreaming Spires.

One of the view cones – a view towards the city that must be protected – is at Elsfield just north of the site.

The college has also acknowledged it will have to give lengthy consideration to the impact on the nearby roads and air pollution.

Christ Church and its partners – Dorchester Residential Management and Pegasus Group – raised these issues in a submission to South Oxfordshire District Council.

The early-stage planning application gives a rough outline for how the organisations would address the various environmental hurdles and impacts.

Members of public can see the plans so far at southoxon.gov.uk using reference number P18/S0399/SCO.

The council has said it will respond to the plans by March 12.

The college and its partners will then have to submit a full planning application.