A CAMPAIGN group in Witney claims the town could suffer from “catastrophic” flooding if the thousands of homes planned for the area are given the go ahead.

North Witney Action Group (NWAG) has said the damage could be even worse than when the town was hit in 2007, when more than 230 homes flooded.

Chairman of NWAG Stuart Harrison has urged West Oxfordshire District Council (WODC) to look more closely at its Local Plan, before submitting a new outline for the planning inspector at the end of this month.

He said the fields earmarked for 1,000 homes in the north of Witney, east of Hailey Road, flood every year, and would be the worst place for houses.

Elsewhere in the town, campaigners are also battling against Gladman Homes’ plans to build 260 houses on land off Burford Road, saying it could be a real flood risk.

Mr Harrison said: “One of they key reasons these developments should not go forward is the vulnerability it gives to the centre of Witney. The land east of Hailey Road is on high ground and close to Witney and all the water will just drop down .”

The north Witney site has been earmarked for 1,000 homes in WODC’s draft Local Plan – a document that sets out where and how future developments will be built in the area – prompting a campaign from NWAG.

Despite being in the draft Local Plan, no planning applications have so far been submitted.

However the homes for Burford Road have already been refused twice by WODC, causing Gladman to take the application to appeal. The planning inspector yesterday visited the site to see for himself if the development would cause a flood risk.

Last week it was revealed planners were on the hunt for new housing sites across West Oxfordshire, with as many as 13,600 homes needed to be built by 2031.

WODC originally proposed a figure of 10,500 but was told by the planning inspectorate it was too low.

Mr Harrison said if all the homes were to be built, it would go alongside the West End Link Road – a huge bridge and dam combined.

But he added it would be like dropping a stone in a bucket of water; the water levels would go up with the bridge being built, and flooding would get worse.

He added: “WODC now need the courage to look at all the overwhelming evidence and be bold enough to withdraw the north Witney site.”

Warwick Robinson, cabinet member for strategic planning and housing, said the West End Link Road would actually help protect Witney.

He said: “The potential impact of the flooding of the development was investigated thoroughly by independent consultants.

“They assessed it as having a positive effect rather than a negative. There would also be substantial balancing ponds built above the development which would mitigate the flow of the brook.”

Richard Langridge, who represents Witney North on WODC, said he disagreed with the development as a whole.

He said: “If this development goes ahead it will be absolutely catastrophic for Witney North. We are at great risk of flooding and putting houses there would be lunacy. I voted against it for the Local Plan .”

Following the planning inspector telling WODC to rethink the Plan, members hope to have a redesign outlined by the end of the month.