A WAR of words has broken out between supporters and opponents of housing development that would double the size of Woodstock.

The chairman of Old Woodstock Town football club, which stands to get a new ground if 1,500 homes are built, has said he has no qualms about supporting the plans, but campaigners have accused him of being out of touch with opinion.

Ted Saxton, chairman of the 105-year-old club, said its committee believes Woodstock desperately needs the new housing estate which would see the football club get a new 3G pitch, a new ground and a clubhouse as part of the planning deal.

Mr Saxton said the new ground is the club’s only hope of continuing to play football in the Hellenic Football League.

It has had two applications for floodlights at its current New Road ground rejected by West Oxfordshire District Council and will get booted out of the Hellenic League by the FA if it cannot make ground improvements.

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It was relegated two years ago from the Premier Division to Division One because of its lack of floodlights.

Mr Saxton said: "We support the development because it’s the only way forward for us. We get very little support from anywhere and all we get is opposition to the floodlights.”

Vice chairman Neil Roberts said the club committee also supports the new homes in principle. He said: “A minority of local people object to the plans but the majority have always been in favour. There’s a very powerful vocal minority who don’t want anything in the town."

The club received several lump sums of cash in sponsorship from Pye Homes three years ago, but Mr Saxton said it gratefully accepted the cash because it has very limited financial resources.

However, the Woodstock Action Group, which is campaigning against the homes, has hit back at Mr Saxton’s comments.

Chairman Bob McGurrin said: “Over the years, the majority of Woodstock residents have never been in favour of such massive developments.”

Despite the promise of a new football ground, Sport England has also objected to the homes plans because they include lands that are playing fields belonging to Marlborough C of E School.

But Daniel Hayman, representing Pye, said there are no plans to build on the playing fields and they were only included in the application to give the school “flexibility” with future developments.

  • The plans and letters can be viewed at cherwell.gov.uk