UP TO 900 homes could be built on Ministry of Defence land in the centre of Carterton, ending the need for greenfield development close to Witney.

Last week, the Defence Infrastructure Organisation, a branch of the MoD, announced it had cut its new build homes plan from 780 to just 200, freeing up a major piece of land.

Although earmarked for 500 military homes, it could accommodate up to 900 smaller private homes, West Oxfordshire District Council has revealed.

And developing the site could see a planned 1,000-home housing estate – set to be built on the edge of Carterton or at north Witney – scrapped.

Plans for 1,000 homes at West Witney look to be unaffected.

The district council’s cabinet was expected today to decide its core strategy, a blueprint for new homes in West Oxfordshire until 2026. But that has now been delayed by three months. Warwick Robinson, cabinet member for strategic planning, said the council was still waiting for more information from the MoD.

He said: “We really need to know exactly what the MoD’s intentions are before we can proceed further with the core strategy.”

But he said that “open market designs” could fit 800 to 900 homes on the MoD site.

Campaigners fighting plans to build on the outskirts of Carterton, at possible sites east, west and north of the town, have welcomed the MoD’s revised plans.

Richard Anstis, spokesman for Alvescot Parish Council, said: “The parish council and the entire Stop Carterton West campaign are obviously delighted.

“This not only places additional housing within the town settlement, supporting everything that the campaign has stood for, but removes the need for any strategic site outside the settlement boundaries, especially for the least favoured western site, which threatened Alvescot Downs and all the surrounding villages.”

Brize Norton Parish Council chairman Keith Glazier added: “The revised plans by the MoD were greeted with considerable euphoria.”

He said development on the MoD site would increase Carterton’s population from about 16,000 to more than 20,000, boosting Carterton Town Council’s hopes of attracting major new retailers.

Witney West county councillor Steve Hayward said development at north Witney should still go ahead.

He said the development could fund a new bridge over the River Windrush and alleviate traffic problems, particularly in Crawley.

He added: “It would also reduce the pressure to build other small development sites in places such as Woodstock, Charlbury, Bampton, Chipping Norton and Eynsham.”

The Ministry of Defence is scaling back the number of houses it will build for RAF Brize Norton personnel by refurbishing old homes earmarked for demolition.

It has not yet decided whether to sell the MoD sites to developers.