VILLAGERS have pledged to picket council offices at the start of an appeal into plans to build 210 new homes near Wallingford.

The planning inquiry into whether Bloor Homes should be allowed to build the houses off Benson Lane, in Crowmarsh Gifford, starts at 10am on Tuesday and is likely to last four days.

Residents will get the chance to explain to planning inspector Edward Grace why they do not want the homes to be built.

Parish councillors and South Oxfordshire District Council will also be arguing against the new homes during the hearing.

Campaigners want as many residents as possible to protest outside the district council’s headquarters in Benson Lane on Tuesday morning.

In June, the council’s planning committee voted unanimously to refuse permission for Bloor Homes to build houses on the site.