A public inquiry has started this week into rejected plans to build 150 homes near an Oxfordshire village.

Gleeson Land saw its proposed development on the B4445 between Chinnor and Thame rejected by South Oxfordshire District Council in April.

After an appeal from the developers, the decision will be debated at a public inquiry at Chinnor Community Pavilion which could last three weeks.

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Chinnor Parish Council and some villagers have criticised the proposed development as “unsustainable.”

Council chairwoman Maggie Mackenzie said: “We know of one four-year-old who is having to take a taxi to a nearby town to go to school.

"We also know that the sewerage system is overloaded and, in some cases, has flooded people’s gardens.

“More development in Chinnor is simply unsustainable.”

Members of the campaign group Stand up for Chinnor will reportedly attend the inquiry.

The group, which is backed by Chinnor and Sydenham parish councils, have claimed that the proposed home would overload Chinnor’s infrastructure.

It warned that villagers would be unable to access local services and that the homes would add to traffic congestion and put a strain on drainage and sewerage systems.

Originally a small village at the foot of the Chiltern Hills, Chinnor has seen more than 1,000 additional houses built since 2011 - a 42 per cent increase.

The parish council said this was almost three times more than what the district council originally planned for.

Gleeson Land has been contacted for comment.