SOUTH Oxfordshire residents have accused councillors of not listening to their fears after controversial plans for 10,000 new homes were pushed through.

The scheme will see 9,000 homes built in Didcot, 400 in Wallingford, and 530 in Thame over the next 16 years.

The core strategy document was approved after a five-hour meeting of South Oxfordshire District Council.

Among the most contentious proposals at Thursday night’s meeting, was the plan by Prupim, part of Prudential Assurance, for housing at Slade End Farm, on the western edge of Wallingford.

Householders and some councillors argued it was the wrong site, claiming the development would be too close to neighbouring Brightwell-cum-Sotwell. They also said local roads would not be able to cope with extra traffic.

But they were told it was too late to make major changes to the document, and a bid by 11 councillors to send the plan back to the cabinet for revision was thrown out.

Steve Teboe, 50, from Wantage Road, Wallingford, lives near the Slade End site, and spoke against the plans.

After the meeting he told the Oxford Mail that the development was “a foregone conclusion”.

He added: “It was a complete shambles. This is not democracy at work, there is a party whip going on here and they are not listening to the people.”

Mike Rose, 65, of Norries Drive, Wallingford, said: “It’s ridiculous. They just don’t listen.”

Meanwhile, building of 9,000 homes on six sites around Didcot will double the town’s population.

Long Wittenham parish councillor Tom Bowtell spoke on behalf of the Didcot Ring of Parishes (Drop), a group of 11 villages which say the town does not have the infrastructure to support the expansion.

He said: “Anyone who has read this core strategy will wonder if those who wrote it have been on another planet.”

But district council leader Ann Ducker, said the plan had been prepared over three years and that planning officers had taken into account more than 3,000 comments from the public.

The council approved the plan, voting by 25 to eight in favour, with one abstention.

Angie Paterson, cabinet member for planning, said: “Having thoroughly investigated and consulted on the options, and where possible anticipated future changes, we have arrived at these informed recommendations.”

Conservative district councillor for Berinsfield John Cotton said: “It is by no means the end of the show. There is a long way to go before these houses even get close to being built.”

There will be another consultation before the council submits the plans to the Government, followed by a public examination by a planning inspector.