AN ENVIRONMENT campaign group could take legal action in a bid to stop 4,000 new homes being built on farmland south of Oxford.

The Campaign to Protect Rural England issued the warning in the wake of last week’s Government blueprint for development in the region over the next 20 years.

The South East Plan calls for 55,200 new homes to be built in Oxfordshire between 2006 and 2026, including 8,000 in Oxford.

In addition, Whitehall has ordered Oxford City Council and South Oxfordshire District Council to carry out a review of the city’s Green Belt boundaries to pave the way for an extra 4,000 homes south of Grenoble Road.

But Dr Helena Whall, campaign manager for the Oxfordshire branch of the CPRE, described the proposal as “shockingly bad news” for the county.

She said: “This is exactly what the Green Belt was created to prevent – such unchecked expansionism will harm both the countryside and the city itself.”

Unlike the city council, Oxfordshire County Council and South Oxfordshire District Council oppose building south of Grenoble Road, arguing that new homes should only be built within the city’s limits.

Dr Whall added: “We strongly believe the special circumstances the Government advances for grabbing Green Belt land – that it is needed to meet Oxford’s housing needs – are flawed. We believe all the houses the city needs could be built within its boundaries.

“The city council’s expansionist plans have now been endorsed by the Government – but the fight to contain Oxford and preserve our precious countryside will continue, if necessary in the courts.”

Ed Turner, the city council’s pexecutive member for housing, pledged to consult the CPRE over the review of the Green Belt.

He also promised to work with South Oxfordshire District Council to secure the “facilities and infrastructure” needed for any development south of Grenoble Road.

However, Mr Turner dismissed the suggestions an extra 4,000 new homes could be built in Oxford on top of the 8,000 already allocated and said green spaces in the city also needed to be protected.

He added: “We want to preserve the natural beauty of the city and its open spaces for the future.”