RESIDENTS in a village near Wallingford are being consulted on proposals to build thousands of new homes with new facilities.

Last month cabinet members at South Oxfordshire District Council approved a survey for the beginning of 2017 to decide on whether local people want to see 1,700 to 1,999 new homes or 2,000 to 2,100 new homes.

About 2,800 people live in Berinsfield and both options would almost double the size of the village.

The first option of 1,700 to 1,999 new homes could result in a range of new facilities including a community hub, new primary school and the existing school refurbished.

The second option of 2,000 to 2,100 new homes could feature a new school for four to 16-year-olds and a large community hub, possibly including a health centre.

South Oxfordshire leader John Cotton, also a councillor for Berinsfield, said: "We’ve been engaging with local residents about future plans for the village.

"We will soon ask people for their views on which option would be best for the local area.

"Berinsfield is one of our larger villages but I think it will carry on being regarded as a village – there is a very strong community there.

"I don't think Berinsfield is poorly connected but it needs better shops and a bigger and better school.

"These options are what the community wants – these are the priorities of the residents.

"This is an exciting time for Berinsfield and this time I think changes are really going to happen."

Council leaders also agreed that the Berinsfield community investment scheme should move onto the next stage, including preparation of a detailed masterplan, and a strategy to deliver environmental and economic improvements.

Mr Cotton said the masterplan would be consulted on widely, with some work on the plan being concluded by February.

In August residents in the village off the A4074 said they felt stranded after Thames Travel withdrew its T2 service to Templars Square in Cowley.

Residents now have to rely on the X39/ X40 services which go to Oxford, Wallingford and Reading, but these buses do not visit the estate so people have to walk to the nearby bus stop on the A4074.

The county council is consulting on a new signalled pedestrian crossing on the busy route.

The crossing, which will be funded by South Oxfordshire District Council, will help people who need to cross the A4074 to get to and from the northbound bus stop.

If it is approved, the council hopes to build the crossing in the spring, about 270 metres north of the Berinsfield Roundabout.

Any objections need to be sent to the council by Friday, January 20.