RESIDENTS and councillors yesterday protested against housing plans they fear would double the size of historic Woodstock.

About 10 demonstrators unfurled banners at the hall, where Pye Homes was displaying its plans for a 1,500-home housing development on greenfield land to the east of the town.

The land is owned by the Blenheim Palace estate.

Town Mayor Julian Cooper, who joined the demonstration, said it would “suffocate” Woodstock.

He said: “It would double the size of the town.

“It would affect the viability of the shops in the middle of the community and jam up the car parking like you would not believe.

“This community has been here for 1,000 years and was never built for something like this.”

Semi-retired Paul Davis, who has lived in Woodstock for seven years and was at the protest, added: “I think it’s absolutely atrocious. It will ruin what is a lovely little town.

“Congestion is rife here and there are already too many accidents.

“I don’t think it would make people shop here. They would just go to the supermarkets out of town.”

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But a resident who has lived in the town for 44 years and did not wish to be named said: “We should have more affordable housing so people can afford to live here.

“At the moment the houses get bought up by rich people and then the rents go up so people can’t afford them. That’s what’s killing Woodstock.”

The development would include a 120-unit care village, a supermarket, a primary school, a 300-space park-and-ride facility, a football ground, a community sports ground and 80,000sq ft of employment space.

An undisclosed portion of money from renting and selling the homes and other facilities would go towards the upkeep of the palace and its grounds.

But Mr Cooper said the palace should borrow money using its assets as collateral to fund its upkeep rather than allow homes to be built on its lands.

Nigel McGurk, head of planning for the Blenheim estate, said the development would help fund the building of new community resources such as a primary school, sports facilities and public transport that could only be secured with such a large development.

He said the homes would give a “massive boost” to the town’s shops and businesses, which he said currently relied on the tourist trade.

Daniel Hayman, representing Pye Homes, said the development would be carefully designed so it would match the character of the town and a new park-and-ride on the outskirts would help free it from traffic.

West Oxfordshire District Council held a public consultation on the plans, which are likely to go before its planning committee in June.

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