OLD Marston residents want more time to examine plans for a major development in their village after a geographical mistake by city planners.

Plans have been submitted by Oxford City Council for the demolition of the Bradlands House sheltered housing block in Mill Lane.

If it gets planning permission, it will be rebuilt as a new modern complex as part of the city council’s push for more social housing.

But Marston Parish Council chairman Charlie Haynes was shocked to learn that he and his fellow councillors had not be consulted over the development.

He said: “I was rather concerned going into last week that we had not had any letters about the Bradlands development.

“I phoned someone up at the city council and was told we were not going to be consulted because Bradlands is not in our area.”

But the city council’s own applications says the building is in Old Marston and Mr Haynes had to write to the council’s chief executive Peter Sloman and to the head of city development Michael Crofton-Briggs before getting copies of the plans.

He said they were delivered to him by hand the day before the most recent parish council meeting last week.

“We are not going to accept this standard of response and we want the decision to be put off by two months,” he added.

Bradlands House, which is about 40 years old, will be replaced by a new block housing 45 people over three storeys.

Residents in the nearby Cumberlege House – another sheltered housing block – will be moved into Bradlands once the new development is completed.

It is part of the city council’s scheme to build 112 new council homes in Oxford by 2015.

Mr Haynes said: “I quite agree that the city needs this sort of housing, but this is enormous.

“There are no three-storey buildings on that side of the village and it is not in keeping with the character of Old Marston.”

The council’s application says the building will have an “open, welcoming contemporary appearance” and that “the stepped arrangement of the plan and the roof form, all help to break up the massing and avoid a monolithic appearance”.

Council spokesman Louisa Dean said: “An officer from the council will be attending one of their meetings to discuss these plans.

“We have given them a fresh date by which we would like to receive their comments.”