THOUSANDS of people are showing their support for Oxford United’s proposed move to Stratfield Brake.

More than 5,000 signatures have been added to a petition created by independent fans’ trust OxVox calling for Oxfordshire County Council to approve the relocation.

Meanwhile, there was strong backing in a straw poll conducted on the Oxford Mail website yesterday, with 83 per cent of voters saying they are ‘strongly in favour’ of the move.

The U’s have asked to lease the site, south of Kidlington, for 250 years with a view to building an 18,000-capacity stadium, community and sports grounds and hotel, retail and conference facilities.

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It comes after the county council’s consultation on the proposal was launched on Tuesday afternoon, with members of the public given until 5pm on February 22 to share their thoughts.

An update on the OxVox website praised fans for their efforts so far, but added: “Every signature and letter sent so far has been important but whatever you have already done, we urge you to get involved with this.

“It is vital we make sure our voices are heard and opinions logged.”

The survey features several questions, ranging from whether respondents support the land being leased to United to the objectives that should be taken into consideration when making the decision.

OxVox revealed more than 750 people added their name to their petition at Saturday’s Sky Bet League One match against Sheffield Wednesday at the Kassam Stadium.

Yesterday, the online version crept over 4,600 signatures.

OxVox says it will formally present the petition to the county council at the ‘appropriate time’.

There was also significant support for the proposal in an online poll shared on the news and sport sections of the Oxford Mail website, although admittedly there is no way of knowing the demographic of respondents.

Of the 1,367 votes cast, 83 per cent of readers said they were ‘strongly in favour’ of United’s proposed move to Stratfield Brake, while ten per cent were ‘strongly against’.

Another five per cent were ‘cautiously in favour’ of the plans, while ‘no strong opinion’ and ‘cautiously against’ made up the remaining one per cent.

The county council’s cabinet will discuss the proposal at its meeting on March 15, when all responses to the consultation have been collected.

They will decide whether to give approval for officers to enter into negotiations with its tenants, sub-tenants and United at Stratfield Brake.

Exploratory discussions between the parties have already begun, with the club’s lease at Grenoble Road running out in 2026.

You can access the consultation at letstalk.oxfordshire.gov.uk.