A DEVELOPER is still pushing for almost 900 homes south of Banbury amid a row over rural developments around the town.

Barwood Developments Limited is urging Cherwell District Council (CDC) to back 895 homes either side of the Bloxham Road, south of Banbury.

The firm has already submitted formal plans for 145 homes at part of the site south of Salt Way.

It is now calling on the council to include the 895 homes as part of work to decide where more than 13,000 district homes should go by 2031.

The latest list of sites will be released next week and will then be subject to public consultation.

Council bosses hope that by backing sites, councillors will have stronger reasons for refusing inappropriate estate plans.

Sites backed by council leaders in May include 1,050 south of the train station, 400 west of Bretch Hill and 400 north of Hanwell Fields.

Barwood land and operations executive Sam Dorrian said: “Land to the south of Banbury offers the most logical and sustainable location to accommodate the future growth of Banbury.”

The “sustainable urban extension to the town” could include a country park, neighbourhood centre and primary school, he said.

Barwood has appealed to the independent Planning Inspectorate to make a decision on the 145 homes as CDC has yet to make a ruling.

But Mr Dorian said: “There is currently no intention for Barwood to submit any further planning applications on this land.”

Lansdown Close resident Harry Barrett, whose home backs on to the proposed Salt Way site, said 895 homes was far too many.

He said: “The infastructure around here just wouldn’t handle it.

“It is so tight with the amount of traffic, to increase that considerably would be just ridiculous,” he added.

Developers have put forward plans for homes in villages such as Adderbury and Bodicote as the council has not agreed its preferred sites and is missing a key Government housing target.

Banbury MP Sir Tony Baldry has said sites where CDC has given planning permission should count towards the housing target, which says about 3,350 need to be built every five years.

Permission is in place for 4,286, but just 2,361 are expected from struggling developers by 2017.

The council said permissions only counted towards the target if there was a “realistic prospect” homes would be built and it would not put this above 2,361.

In a statement released last week, it said: “An under-supply of deliverable sites is not unique to Cherwell and has been problematic for many authorities, due to the effect of national economic conditions on house-building.

“As conditions improve it is anticipated that the rate of housing delivery will increase and the district’s five-year supply position will improve.”