THERE are fears Bicester could end up with a Blackbird Leys-type estate on the edge of the town if an eco-settlement gets the go ahead.

On Tuesday night a public meeting heard that the development would not be integrated with the town but would stand alone.

Campaigners are concerned it could cause similar problems to those at Blackbird Leys in the 60s, 70s and 80s – which took two generations to iron out.

Residents are also furious over the lack of consultation of the 5,000-home development and fear it could double the size of Bicester to a 60,000 population. They were warned the town could face twenty years of misery while the development was built, and may only see an extra £5m from the Government for extra infrastructure.

Townspeople were urged to bombard housing minister Margaret Beckett with letters, asking why they have not been consulted.

Anthony Ives, a retired planner for Vale of the White Horse District Council, told the 80-strong crowd at the Methodist Church hall that he was concerned the planning system had been by-passed. Cherwell District Council proposes to build homes, businesses, schools and a bio-plant on 852 acres of farmland between Bicester, Bucknell and Caversfield.

Mr Ives said Cherwell’s leader, Barry Wood, had told a Bure Park Residents Association meeting that the development was “not an integral part of Bicester”.

He said: “I thought that was crazy. It’s going to be Blackbird Leys all over again.

“The trouble was nobody thought to integrate Blackbird Leys to the rest of Oxford.

“Blackbird Leys, when first built, was isolated and so there were social problems.

“It took two generations for the problems to be resolved.”

Mr Ives, who has set up the Future of Bicester campaign, said residents were clueless about plans right on their doorstep and were worried that the lack of consultation was “calculated”.

He said: “I do have the feeling something is not quite on the level.”

He said the size of the development would be on the scale of Didcot Power Station.

Landowner Odette Phipps said: “I asked how much they were going to get from this pot (for infrastructure) and was told £5m. I don’t think £5m will go very far. It won’t even pay for one school.”

Afterwards, a Cherwell spokesman denied the development would not be integrated with the town. He said Government funding was likely to be in the region of £5m to £10m a year.

John Hoad, the strategic director for planning and housing, added: “The Halcrow Study was specifically directed at consideration of how integration could be achieved.”

He said the requirement for an eco-town was self containment in terms of local jobs and reduced commuting.