A SERIES of town green applications could threaten plans for hundreds of homes next to Oxford ring road.

Campaigners are looking at co-ordinating their efforts in Northway, Old Headington and Barton, targeting land on both sides of Oxford ring road.

If successful, the town green applications could hit Oxford City Council proposals for up to 1,200 homes at West Barton, creating a new community on the north side of the A40.

A town green is defined as an area of common ground that has been used for recreation by a significant number of residents for more than 20 years.

The Northway Residents’ Group will lead the way next week when it will ask Oxfordshire County Council to create a Foxwell Drive town green, to protect a 4.5-acre stretch of open land along the Northern Bypass.

It is to be a key access route in the West Barton development.

Under the council’s plans, a road for buses and emergency vehicles would cross the land, pass over the A40 at a controlled light junction and link to the new homes.

Residents claim a covenant exists to restrict development.

The group’s treasurer, Georgina Gibbs, said buses and ambulances would pose a danger to children who played there. She said: “It is an important wildlife corridor.

“The trees were planted 31 years ago to reduce pollution from the A40.

“We now want to work with residents trying to protect open spaces in Headington and Barton.”

The Friends of Old Headington are planning to have Ruskin Fields designated as a town green.

Last year, Ruskin College, which owns the 3.5-hectare fields, announced it wanted to build 150 houses on the site.

Its plans were not included in the draft Barton Area Action Plan, but the college has not ruled out developing the site separately.

Veronica Hurst, co-chairman of the Ruskin Fields group of Friends of Old Headington, said: “It is something we have been thinking about for a while.

“We want to be sure it will be a candidate for town green status. The fields have been used by the people of Headington for years.”

But Ruskin College principal Audrey Mullender said: “We are taking legal advice on the plans for a town green and we are sure they don’t have a case.”

Residents in Barton are fighting to stop a popular nature park being used as part of the proposed Barton development, claiming the land has been used by the community for 25 years.

Rachael Peace, of Low Carbon Barton, said: “We are reviewing our strategy. We will think about the idea of a town green application.”

Sietske Boeles, chairman of the Campaign for the Protection of Rural England’s Oxford district, said: “Barton and Headington have been identified by Oxford City Council as being under-provided in terms of green space provision. Development on these green spaces, plus population growth, will make the situation worse.”

Colin Cook, city council board member for development, said the town green bids would be premature: “We are out for consultation on some of these spaces.

“We have laid out our proposals. Residents’ groups will have the opportunity to speak on them when a planning inspector looks at them.”