A group of passionate Kidlington locals are prepared to fight for much-loved green land behind the Moors, including through talks with councillors and petitions. 

The Land Behind the Moors advocacy group has said they believe Cherwell District Council has plans to build on the land north of Kidlington - in an area of fields that is widely used by the community for dog walking and other leisure activities. 

The Cherwell District Council, however, said it may be too early to comment on future plans for the area. 

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The Land Behind the Moors group understands the area was proposed for development in the 2040 Cherwell District Council consultation. 

They said 300 homes and sporting facilities were proposed for the "land behind the Moors", in addition to 4400 homes set to be built elsewhere in Kidlington. 

Members have said the land behind the Moors is unsuitable for development - highlighting difficulties accessing the land by car, flooding risks and the large amount of wildlife in the space. 

The group has also expressed worries as the ecologically important area borders the Cherwell River Valley and St Mary's Fields, and is "a much-loved beauty spot used for leisure and recreation" around working fields.

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A spokesperson for Cherwell District Council has said the council is "in the process of preparing a new local plan and last year consulted on a draft plan including a number of new possible sites for housing, green spaces and infrastructure".

"The council received over 900 representations in response and has been considering these and preparing further evidence," the statement read.

"The plan process is still on-going and no final decisions have been made."

The council said evidence supporting the local plan would be made public online as it was completed.

"If the proposed plan is approved it would then be subject to further consultation," the spokesperson said.

"It would not be appropriate to pre-judge the content of that plan."

Ahead of the publishing of further plans, locals from the Land Behind the Moors group including Dr Lisa Smith and Professor Daphne Hampson are working on their next steps. 

Professor Hampson publishes a regular newsletter on the proposed developments while Dr Smith has brought together locals on Facebook. 

They plan to look into the possibility of petitions and further conversations with councillors. 

It is a cause close to the heart of Professor Hampson who said she walks her dogs on the field five to six times a week. 

"I love these fields and this area," she said.

"It was a major reason for coming to live in Kidlington - that I had open country on my doorstep."

Professor Hampson agreed that more housing was needed, but said that was still going to come through the 4400 other homes proposed for Kidlington. 

"This isn't a suitable place to be building houses," she said. 

Cherwell District Council has said following consultation a final plan would be presented to councillors for approval. 

"It would then be submitted to the planning inspectorate for examination and those who submit comments at the final stage of consultation would have a right to be heard by the planning inspector,” the spokesperson said.