The future development of Heyford Park -- the former RAF Upper Heyford airbase -- will be argued at a public inquiry.

One of the main points to be debated will be how plans by North Oxfordshire Consortium (Noc) comply with a planning brief prepared by Cherwell District Council.

Noc, which handles the former Nato air base in conjunction with the Ministry of Defence, has appealed to the Department for Transport, Local Government and the Regions to hold an inquiry to get a decision on its planning application for a major housing development.

Noc first submitted a plan in November 2000, and revised the plan in August last year.

Both plans call for the retention of 264 existing houses, bungalows and flats built for airbase staff and their continued use as homes to rent in the local market.

Noc wants to build about 750 new homes and flats.

But the district council has reservations about the plans, claiming there could eventually be as many as 5,000 new homes at the site.

NOC has proposed the permanent change of use of a number of former hangars, workshops and other buildings for business use, to provide about 1,500 jobs.

A new local centre would be created to include the existing shop and new smaller shops, a medical centre, children's nursery, primary school, community centre and the chapel, which would be refurbished.

New roads would be built to take heavy goods traffic off Camp Road, which runs through the site. Some buildings would be cleared away and more than 100 acres of woodland would be planted.

Ian Tant, of Barton Willmore Planning Partnership, which acts for the Noc, said: "Lodging the appeal is a normal part of the town planning process and will help both Noc and Cherwell District Council to resolve issues relating to this application."

Jenny Barker, a council planning officer, said: "The Noc's applications have not complied with our planning brief, nor the county structure plan.

"Their applications have been made so that they leave the door open for further housing development other than the 1,000 homes included in the county structure plan and our planning brief.

"Noc has made no secret of its desire to have up to 5,000 homes on the site."

No date has been set for an inquiry.