POLITICIANS overseeing a £215m fund to spend on housing infrastructure in Oxfordshire have said they are committed to a 'bottom up' approach to planning.

Michael Tyce of the Campaign to Protect Rural England asked members of Oxfordshire's Growth Board to clarify if they were committed to making sure 'decisions affecting our communities will be taken to the greatest practical extent with our permission'.

Mr Tyce said he was concerned that big Government projects for the future of Oxfordshire would take power out of the hands of residents, and may lead to decisions about where new homes could go being taken by Government, not local councillors.

He was particularly concerned about the Oxford to Cambridge Arc, a project to build homes and tech businesses in the area between the two university cities, and England's Economic Heartland, an organisation planning for better infrastructure in the same area.

In response, Michele Mead, chair of the Growth Board, said: "I am happy to confirm the view that planning decisions should be taken at a local level wherever possible using the local development framework which includes adopted Local Plans and neighbourhood plans."

The Growth Board sees Oxfordshire councillors and business leaders discuss how £215m of cash for infrastructure should be spent.