A COMMUNITY has come together to fight plans to build thousands of homes off the A40 between Witney and Oxford.

Gladman Developments wants to build up to 3,000 homes on land north of South Leigh, pitching its proposals as an alternative to Government-backed plans for a garden village near Eynsham.

Campaigners have expressed serious concerns over the proposals – with fears the development could derail the Eynsham plans and lead to further traffic problems on the A40.

The developer, however, has argued the failings of the Eynsham garden village project, which it suggests would simply serve as an extension of the village rather than being a standalone settlement.

In its vision statement, Gladman suggests its proposed development, named Barnard Gate Garden Village, could help West Oxfordshire take its share of Oxford’s unmet housing need, but the garden village near Eynsham had already been put forward to contribute towards the 2,750 homes the district must build to help the city.

Amanda Howard, 49, of nearby South Leigh, said: “People in the village are really angry, not just about what Gladman is trying to do but the way it's doing it.

“The fact that the Eynsham garden village has already been approved means this is not in the public interest.”

“It’s far too far from Oxford to provide the 3,000 homes the city needs and it doesn’t seem to fit any of the garden village criteria.

"I can’t understand why they think in any way that it’s going to be a garden village."

In its vision statement, the developer says it has an advantage over the Government-backed garden village in that the proposed land has a single landowner willing to progress and that it can contribute to future A40 improvements.

It also claims that due to the isolation from nearby towns and villages, it can become a settlement with its own identity and not an extension of other areas.

The proposals from Gladman, which has not yet submitted an application, also include a science or business park, two new primary schools, a medical centre and pharmacy, play areas and improvements to the A40.

Villagers, however, suspect that Gladman intends to include a high density of housing and leave services to a minimum.

Previously, district council leader James Mills stressed the benefits of the 2,200 garden village plans near Eynsham, which was given Government backing in January.

A spokesman for Gladman discussed recent consultation events held to let the public see the plans and said many people preferred the Barnard Gate plans.

They said: “As we have made clear in the local plan examination process, we consider such an important decision for the local area can only be made by fairly considering the competing proposals.

“We consider that the Barnard Gate Garden Village is a standalone settlement which offers a far better alternative to the Garden Village proposals north of Eynsham, which would function as a large extension to the existing village.

"It is also notable that the Eynsham proposal would be built around a concrete recycling plant and would have to overcome significant ecological and heritage constraints.”

Representatives from Gladman will attend a parish council meeting in South Leigh in the village hall at 7.30pm on September 27.