A ONE day ‘Pre Hearing Session’ has been announced for Cherwell District Council’s Local Plan Part 1 Review.

The session will discuss a proposal to build nearly 4,000 houses on the Oxford Green Belt around Kidlington, Yarnton and Begbroke, according to The Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE).

Cherwell council say the purpose of the meeting is 'for the Inspector to explore preliminary matters before considering the next stages of the Examination'.

Oxfordshire's CPRE director Helen Marshall said: "We are pleased to see that the Inspector has got straight to the heart of the matter. In our view, the ‘unmet need’ housing figure cannot be reliably established until Oxford City’s own, much, delayed Local Plan is finally brought forward and there are no exceptional circumstances to justify release of Green Belt land.

"By prioritising employment sites and building at appropriate densities, the city has far greater capacity to absorb housing than currently proposed."