A PLAN for homes that would be built on a sports field in East Oxford has been scaled back after it was criticised by councillors.

Oxford-based Cantay Estates has cut the 102 homes it had planned for William Morris sports field in Cowley to 86 homes.

City councillors deferred the project back in July so further details could be found about its potential impact.

It was unpopular but planning officers urged councillors to get more information about it before it was rejected outright. One councillor claimed the plan failed ‘the common sense test’.

READ MORE: Residents attack 102-home plan for William Morris Close, Oxford

But Cantay has now said it wants to build a total of 72 flats and another 14 houses. All flats would be in three storey blocks, all less tall than had previously been proposed.

The developer said its proposals have been ‘designed to be complementary to the scale of the surrounding area and not generate any detrimental overshadowing to adjacent properties’.

At the meeting in July, city councillors Lubna Arshad and Sajjad Malik, county councillor John Sanders and Temple Cowley resident Judith Harley all spoke against the original plan going ahead.

Their concerns included fears that the development would be too big for the area, congestion and pollution.

Ms Harley said her Old Temple Cowley Residents’ Association group will continue to oppose homes there, regardless of the new design.

She said: “It was quite clear from the [July] meeting that councillors didn’t like the plan so it’s no surprise that [Cantay Estates] have changed it.”

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She has urged the council to buy up the land and ensure it is used by residents again as playing fields. But the authority has refused every time.

A spokesman for Cantay Estates said: “At the East Area planning committee meeting held on July 31, some councillors and members of the public stated that in their view the proposed development was too large for the site.

“It was therefore agreed by the committee that the application would be deferred to a future committee meeting.”

He added: “Cantay Estates has carefully listened to these comments and has reduced the number of units on the site and the height of several buildings.

“These amendments are the culmination of discussions between Cantay Estates and officers at both the city and county councils in order to reach what we hope will be viewed as an acceptable compromise.

“We look forward to the revised application returning to the East Area planning committee in the coming weeks.”

To see the updated planning documents, including the new plan, visit the city council’s planning portal and search for application number 18/03330/OUT