TENANTS who feared being left homeless after learning their bungalows were earmarked for demolition have been promised priority for new housing.

Cherwell District Council has passed a local lettings scheme to help people with connections to Upper Heyford get priority for new social housing on the former American airbase.

Residents in most of the 300 American-built bungalows on the base were told two months ago their homes would be demolished because they were not up to modern standards.

Their landlord, the North Oxfordshire Consortium (NOC) housing group, is preparing a planning application for about 1,000 new homes on the site, including about 300 affordable homes.

Cherwell District Council discussed the situation and voted through the new policy after receiving a petition of support from scores of residents.

Top of the priority list will be people with a connection to the airbase who are in housing need and whose current homes are earmarked for demolition.

People with a connection to one of the nearby villages will get second preference for social rented housing on the site, followed by anyone in the Cherwell area with a housing need.

If Cherwell had not passed the lettings policy, the 800 current tenants would have had to compete with about 3,500 other people on its housing list.

Upper Heyford Residents Association chairman Patricia Kirby, of Gibson Drive, said local people were relieved.

She said: "We are very pleased. It's what we wanted. It's a helpful step - for some of us it's a victory.

"We have been told everyone will qualify. Everyone should qualify for at least a shared-buy ownership package."

Mrs Kirby added residents had handed councillors a 200-signature petition urging them to adopt the lettings policy and said a similar petition had been sent to the NOC urging it not to increase rents before the bungalows were demolished.

And she said residents now wanted to see an independent housing association appointed for the site, rather than the NOC.

Michael Gibbard, Cherwell's portfolio holder for planning and housing, urged residents to get on the council's housing register now.

To apply for a place on the housing register call Cherwell's housing department on 01295 221809 or email housing@cherwell-dc.gov.uk.