A MAJOR new road could help pave the way for thousands of homes to be built south of Oxford.

The scheme for 3,500 homes at Grenoble Road was snubbed by South Oxfordshire District Council in its most recent draft Local Plan outlining future development, but the authority's leader has hinted that could change in the future.

John Cotton said if the planned Oxford-Cambridge Expressway went ahead it 'may well' make development there more likely.

His comments came as the Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE) warned the route of the expressway could be used to justify a slew of development on protected Green Belt land.

One possible route for the road starts at the A34, north of Abingdon, and runs west before passing north of Thame and on towards Milton Keynes.

Highways England, the National Infrastructure Commission (NIC) and Oxfordshire County Council have all supported the project and say it could reduce traffic congestion and boost the economy.

But Michael Tyce, a spokesman for CPRE's Oxfordshire branch, said it could lead to urban sprawl that 'would not otherwise have occurred'.

He said: "We won't just get an expressway road that cuts through open countryside, it will also mean a lot of development as well and huge amounts of noise for people living either side of it."

Pointing to the Grenoble Road proposal, Mr Tyce added: "At the moment one of the arguments against that scheme is there is no clear boundary to limit it.

"But if the expressway is built they will just use it as a reason to build up to there, and other areas like Chalgrove and Culham."

He said the existing A34 carriageway should be used as the route for the expressway instead.

The plans are part of efforts to slash journey times to Cambridge, which along with Oxford and Milton Keynes is seen as part of the 'Brain Belt' where many high tech companies are based.

Alongside other transport schemes, a report by the NIC in November said it should be built with 'the specific intention of securing the tens of thousands of new homes this area needs'.

When asked if it could make development at Grenoble Road more likely, Mr Cotton said: "If the expressway goes ahead, it's route may well open up land for development. Equally, it may have the opposite effect.

"However it is years before we know the precise route and we can't use speculation to create firm plans."

Oxford City Council leader Bob Price said: "The expressway has huge implications for developing economic growth and housing.

"We are now looking at all the different elements of the corridor and saying 'it is all ver well talking about the expressway between Oxford and Cambridge but what about the last mile after that?'

"We are in the discussions with the NIC about that now."