Campaigners against the proposed expansion of Didcot with 3,200 homes west of the town have welcomed the news that there will be a public inquiry following the huge response from residents.

But the inquiry into unresolved objections to the South Oxfordshire Local Plan may not tackle the Didcot West development until October at the earliest -- and possibly not until next year.

The Secretary of State for the Environment has appointed Nigel Payne as the inspector for the inquiry which is expected to be held at South Oxfordshire District Council's offices at Crowmarsh and at Benson Village Hall.

The first part of the inquiry is scheduled to begin on May 18, and will deal with nearly 2,500 objections to the local plan -- other than those specifically in relation to the major development west of Didcot.

The second stage will also deal with objections to the Didcot West development from the neighbouring Vale of White Horse District Council, which still had work to do on its local plan.

The inquiry inspector will deal with approximately 3,000 objections to the Didcot West development from South Oxfordshire District Council.

Tony Hughes, chairman of the Keep Harwell Rural campaign, which has been fighting proposals to build on the open land between Harwell and Didcot since 1998, said: "We hope that the inspector will look afresh at the arguments and realise that the county council's decision in 2000 to over-rule a previous independent inspector was a travesty, and that changes must now be made to put this to rights."