This is an Oxford Times editorial written by the newspaper's politics reporter.
This week housing has been the most contentious issue in politics after prime minister Rishi Sunak revealed plans to resurrect the Help to Buy scheme.
This idea drew criticism quickly from both sides of the political spectrum, with MPs describing the move as highly inflationary and not properly addressing the housing crisis.
Councils face a tricky task when tackling the demand for housing as they have to tread carefully.
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People who want to protect the countryside around their homes, otherwise known as nimbies, fight developers tooth and nail to prevent a new monstrosity becoming their new front living room view.
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On the other side of the argument, you have first time buyers and those looking for affordable housing, who want to live in big cities such as Oxford and London but cannot afford to do so.
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The issue leads to a toxic mix match of views being put forward, where both sides accuse each other of being self-interested.
The proposal includes plans for a snazzy restaurant, a café and a new primary school.
On paper, the new development sounds ideal for first time buyers, with 50 per cent of the housing set to be affordable.
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However, county and city councillors have expressed the concern that basic social services and road infrastructure is not up to the job of coping with this influx of residents.
County councillor Glynis Phillips and city councillor Mike Rowley have said new householders will quickly find they will struggle to register with a GP surgery.
Mr Rowley said there is a risk the GP surgery will be overwhelmed, which means people’s outrage will switch from concerns about housing to complaints about a long waiting list to see a doctor.
Ms Phillips is also worried the Headington roundabout will not be able to manage with increased number of motorists, which suggests that Oxford’s traffic problem is only set to get worse.
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The proposal is certainly ambitious and it cannot be knocked for addressing the lack of affordable homes in the city.
But surely there is a balance to be struck, which respects the rolling countryside and which attempts to consider the capacity of social services.
New homes are no use if new residents can’t see a doctor when they are feeling ill or have to drive miles to drop their children off at the nearest school.
Yes, new pedestrian routes and cycle lanes have been proposed to alleviate concerns about traffic building up.
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However, as ambitious active travel campaigners may be, there is no doubt the new homes will lead to more cars on the road.
The answer must lie somewhere between upgrading local infrastructure and investing more in the NHS and specifically GP practices.
Housing proposals such as Christ Church’s aren’t shy in their ambition in tackling the housing crisis but we must not let ambition compensate for the lack of accessibility to vital social services.
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About the author
To sign up to Ed's weekly Politics newsletter, click here: https://www.oxfordmail.co.uk/newsletters/
Ed specialises in writing political stories for the Oxford Mail and The Oxford Times.
He joined in the team in February 2023, after completing a History undergraduate degree at the University of York and studying for his NCTJ diploma in London.
Ed’s weekly politics newsletter is released every Saturday morning.
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