FEARS are growing that an eco town scheme in Oxfordshire will be on the shortlist of settlements soon to be announced by the Government.

Two separate schemes to build major eco towns near Kidlington and also at Weston-on-the-Green have been submitted to the Government.

And with villagers launching protest campaigns, the Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE) warned that it was "likely" that one of the Oxfordshire schemes would be on the Government shortlist of 18 preferred bids.

It has now emerged that one of the bids seeks to create an eco town bigger than Bicester on farmland beside the A34.

The developer, Parkridge Holdings, wants to create an eco town, called Weston Otmoor, with 15,000 homes on more than 600 acres of farmland between Weston-on-the Green and the A34/ M40 junction.

Villagers, who have held two packed public meetings, have been anxiously attempting to get full details of the scheme. Tony Henman, the father of former British No 1 tennis player Tim, has helped create the Weston Front to oppose the plan.

There have been also calls for the local Cherwell district councillor, Neil Godwin, "to consider his position". As the owner of some of the land involved, there is now an intolerable conflict of interest, say villagers.

Mr Godwin this week confirmed that he had registered an interest.

Two bids from Oxfordshire were among more than 50 submitted to the Government, which is determined to build ten eco towns, with some of the sites expected to be announced in the summer.

Parkridge Holdings has been reluctant to release details of the Weston-on-the-Green scheme, preferring to wait for the Government announcement.

But The Oxford Times can today reveal the scale of the proposal for this self-sustained community. It would be built on both sides of the A34, stretching from Akeman Street in the north, to the railway line in the south.

A spokesman said the settlement could be served by a new rail link, which would allow residents to travel to Oxford, Milton Keynes and London without relying on cars. The settlement itself would be served by a tram service.

There are also proposals for a park-and-ride scheme to transfer passengers travelling to Oxford from the north on the new train line.

A spokesman for the company said: "The Government is likely to announce a shortlist of potential schemes in March. These will be subject to further consultation, testing and independent examination through the planning system. If Weston Otmoor is one of these shortlisted schemes, Parkridge will work with the local community and its representatives to develop proposals which are sympathetic to the local environment and to the needs of the existing community."

Cherwell District Council's executive expressed concern about the Weston-on-the-Green scheme and the other eco town proposal to build 5,000 homes at Shipton Quarry, a former cement works between Woodstock and Bicester.

A statement from the council said: "The two candidate locations offer some advantages, such as the reuse of previously developed land and the potential to improve public transport.

"But there are significant disadvantages, including adverse effects upon the Green Belt, effects upon rural roads, the impact on nature conservation sites, the loss of agricultural land and the impact on the regeneration of existing towns."

Tony Henman, who has lived in Weston-on-the-Green for 40 years, said: "The proposed settlement now extends much further to the east of the A34. We are talking about 550 to 600 acres but no one is quite sure.

"We still do not know whether central government or Cherwell and the county council will be involved in making the decision, or a combination of all three. This is quite extraordinary when we are talking about such a significant development."

Dr Helena Whall, campaign manager of CPRE Oxfordshire, said: "It is very likely that Oxfordshire will be on the shortlist, given the number has gone up to 18."