CUTTESLOWE Park residents have called for Oxford’s ‘last green lung’ to be saved amid the threat of thousands of homes being built north of the city.

Plans to allocate land between Oxford and Kidlington and beyond for 4,400 homes have been put forward by Cherwell District Council in its Local Plan.

A planning inspector approved the plan but ordered a ‘partial review’ into the homes on the outskirts of Oxford, and the council will meet next month before launching another public consultation ahead of a planning inspectorate inquiry.

The Friends of Cutteslowe and Sunnymead Park urged the inspector to take into account the beauty of the park, which they said could be ruined by the homes.

Chairman Tim del Nevo, said: “In planning law there’s a presumption not to have two areas of residential land joined up.

"The land between us and Oxford Parkway, and therefore Kidlington, can be seen as the last green lung of the northern suburbs of Oxford, and it is of course Green Belt land.

“Cutteslowe Park is very much a rural setting and it feels very open with beautiful views of oilseed rape and wheat, and lots of people walk there and through the farmland beyond.

Mr del Nevo, who retired from his position as Oxford University’s land agent five years ago, said: “We have real fears that the planning inspector, who will selected by the inspectorate based in Bristol and will almost definitely not be local, will approve these plans.

“We feel we need to highlight the advantages of the area and hope he or she will understand its importance.”

The council’s Local Plan was approved in principle in June 2015 but in September council leaders on Oxfordshire Growth Board agreed to take a share of homes that there was not space for in Oxford - apart from South Oxfordshire District Council, which refused.

Cherwell District Council then proposed 4,400 homes around Kidlington, including between the village and Oxford.

Of these, 2,200 would be on land north of Oxford, between Cutteslowe and the A34, with 550 more on land between Bicester Road, Kidlington, and the A34.

A further 1,650 would be on land north of Begbroke and west of Kidlington.

Cutteslowe Park falls in Oxford City Council’s boundaries but its northern perimeter is part of Cherwell District Council.

Suzanne McIvor, who also lives in the vicinity of the park, said it was becoming even more important to preserve valuable open green spaces.

She said: “As you walk or drive into Cutteslowe Park from the main entrance you see these beautiful views - they are stunning and reach right across to the church at Islip.

“They are an important part of the value of the park and give parkgoers a feeling of being in the countryside, in wide open space.

“They are enjoyed by tens of - if not hundreds - of thousands of visitors to the park each year and are easily accessible to all.

“Building on this northern perimeter will completely change the nature of Cutteslowe Park at a time when access to open green spaces is becoming more important and more valuable.”

Cherwell District Council communications manager, Thomas Slingsby, said: “The next stage of the Partial Review of the Local Plan will be considered by Cherwell executive at its meeting on June 19.

“This will then be followed by a further period of public consultation for six weeks.”