HUNDREDS of council homes are set to be built in Oxford over the next three years under a strategy approved last night.

Oxford City Council’s housing strategy for 2015 to 2018 will see 113 new social homes finished and another 354 bought as part of the Barton Park development.

The local authority has been told it will need between 24,000 and 32,000 new homes built by 2031 to house the city’s growing population.

It has also committed to delivering 1,000 new affordable homes within the decade.

In a report to a full meeting of the city council yesterday, service development officer Nichola Griffiths said the strategy’s four priorities were to increase the supply of housing and improve access to affordable housing, meet the housing needs of vulnerable groups such as the elderly, support growth of a balanced housing market and support “sustainable communities”.

Ms Griffiths said: “The new strategy recognises the challenging national and local contexts, with recent reports identifying Oxford as the least affordable city in the country.

“It recognises that Oxford City Council has already taken a number of steps to address local housing needs, not least in through its own housebuilding programme, but the enormity of the gap between housing supply and housing need is not under estimated.”

The draft strategy was publicly consulted on earlier this year, attracting 58 responses, the council said.

Ms Griffiths added: “In general, most respondents agreed that the four priorities drafted in the strategy were right for meeting the challenges for Oxford over the next three years and beyond.”

Oxfordshire city councillor for Summertown Jean Fooks said: “It’s very good to see the provision of affordable private housing in the strategy”.

She added that the lack of affordable housing was even causing problems for council staff.