Oxford's Port Meadow could be protected from development by the Government if city councillors agree.

The north area committee is being asked to approve a plan to enter the site into the Environmentally Sensitive Areas (ESA) Scheme.

The programme is run by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, which makes annual payments to farmers and landowners to help protect areas of countryside where the landscape, wildlife or history is of national importance.

The site would receive £7,590 a year from Defra if it entered into the bottom level of the scheme, which would not require any changes to the way it was managed.

Because of Port Meadow's status as common land, the city council as landowners and the Freemen of Oxford, which own the grazing rights, would need to make a joint application.

The Freemen have already indicated their support. An agreement will have to be reached about how to spend the ESA money.

The committee will discuss the idea on Thursday at Summertown Church Hall at 5pm.

At the meeting, councillors will also see a report about methods of thistle control at the meadow.