THE leader of Cherwell District Council has denied that an eco-suburb planned for the edge of Bicester would become a “new Blackbird Leys”.

Barry Wood reassured critics that the North West Bicester proposal would be fully integrated with the rest of the town and wouldnot become an isolated estate.

The move came after claims that Mr Wood told householders at a Bure Park Residents’ Association meeting last month that the eco-settlement would not be integral to the rest of the town.

Tony Ives, who has set up the Future of Bicester Campaign, feared Bicester could end up with a stand-alone estate if the eco-suburb was approved.

He raised concerns that it could experience similar problems to those of Oxford’s Blackbird Leys estate, which he said took two generations to iron out.

But Mr Wood said: “I tried to explain (at Bure Park) our whole approach is to make sure the new eco-suburb does properly integrate with the existing town and, furthermore, we’re supporting it as a vehicle to attract Government investment into Bicester as a whole. We’re certainly not creating a new Blackbird Leys.

“Our proposal for North West Bicester is to build a state-of-the-art development in every sense – architectural, social, economic and ecological. Scare stories like these are simply not factual.

“I’m happy to go back to the BPRA or any other residents’ association to reinforce the message of integration if they want me to.”

Mr Ives said: “I was at the meeting and I heard what he said. I’ve got good hearing and I don’t tell lies. I can assure you that’s what he said. I suspect they’re reacting in the only way they can, which is to back away from it.”

Brian Lester, a former chairman of Blackbird Leys Parish Council, agreed the estate was a satellite of Oxford in its early years, but said people just got on with it.

He said: “Without a shadow of a doubt, it was isolated. But I don’t think there were any real problems.

"Everyone integrated quite well. People weren’t used to the area and had to make the best of it. It had its problems over the years, but so has everyone else.”

A shortlist of eco-town sites will be announced by the Government later this summer.

bicester@oxfordmail.co.uk