Plans for a new neighbourhood of 1,000 homes on the western edge of Witney have been submitted.

They went in on Monday for the new estate, which has been on the cards for more than a decade.

It will include a new primary school, shops and children’s play facilities on a vast plot between Downs Road and Deer Park Road that could accommodate 73 international rugby fields.

The estate would have an access roundabout onto the A40, allotments and 10 hectares set aside for commercial use. Space has also been allocated for a secondary school to be built in the future.

If planning permission is granted, groundwork could begin next year.

The scheme has been put forward by Oxfordshire Land Limited, a consortium of building firms Persimmon Homes, Bovis Homes and Sovereign Land (Witney) Ltd.

Oxfordshire Land Limited spokesman Tim Binnington said: “We are very excited. It is the culmination of about 12 years’ work.

“We hope to create a vibrant community that best suits the future needs of Witney, while being sympathetic to the surrounding area.”

He said the homes would be a mixture of two to five bedroom houses, some of which will be affordable homes, and the commercial space would be a mixture of industrial buildings and offices, “at the upper end of the market”.

West Oxfordshire planning officer Phil Shaw said negotiations about the level of affordable housing were still ongoing but the starting point would be about 30 per cent.

West Witney has been one of West Oxfordshire District Council’s preferred sites for large-scale development in the district since 2006.

Warwick Robinson, district council cabinet member for strategic planning, said: “When the local plan 2006-2011 was finalised, West Witney was judged to be the most sustainable of the alternatives, north and east of the town.”

The West Witney scheme will include the construction of a new roundabout on the A40 at Downs Road, which will cater for the new homes.

It is hoped it would free up the Ducklington Road/Station Lane junction from Downs Road industrial estate traffic.

The new estate will feature a village square, which will be surrounded by the primary school and three or four small shops to create a community focal point. The plan will also include space for 70 allotments.

Witney Town councillor David Harvey said: “With the junction on to the A40 and the additional facilities that are being offered, it is going to be commensurate with the growth that we have seen around the town.

“Witney Town Council also welcomes the provision of additional allotment spaces.”

David Condon, chairman of the Witney branch of the Campaign to Protect Rural England, said: “We do not want any development really. But West Witney is the best option if we have to have anything, in terms of the likely effect on congestion and flooding in the town.”

West Oxfordshire District Council will begin public consultations at the end of the week and will post information on its website westoxon.gov.uk