Wallingford's mayor-elect has said planning issues will be at the heart of his agenda.

In a mission statement laying out his priorities for the next year, Nigel Moor said he wanted the town council to have a greater role.

He hoped the Wallingford Town Plan, currently out to public consultation, would provide the necessary political clout.

Several new residential developments are in the pipeline for the town.

The draft Local Plan earmarks several sites for housing: Wallingford Upper School (70 homes), Blue Mountains elderly people's home and the Wallingford Day Centre in Wantage Road (58), Station Road Industrial Estate (47), the Wilders site in Crowmarsh (18), and the Lamb Garage in Castle Street (10).

Parts of Wallingford Community Hospital may also be sold for housing.

Mr Moor, who takes over from Cllr Theresa Jordan at the annual mayor-making ceremony in the town hall on Monday, had his own planning consultancy before selling it to RPS Group Plc in 1994 and joining them in Oxford as planning director.

He is also a Fellow of the Royal Town Planning Institute, a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts and a Fellow of the Institute of Continuing Professional Development.

Mr Moore was pleased at how the town plan had provoked a lot of public interest.

He added: "My planning expertise will be important this year because there are number of major development projects in the pipeline that need to be resolved.

"I believe England's market towns are an irreplaceable legacy and planning decisions need to be taken with great care. "