Nine acres of farmland could be a town's new cemetery.

Witney Town Council has selected the site, near the junction of Oxford Hill and Cogges Hill Road, after an exhaustive search of suitable land.

Now it is submitting a planning application for change of use. If approved, the cemetery could be open by the beginning of 2002.

Henry Westbury, the council's technical officer, said: "This really is the most likely site. It has been checked and the soil is suitable.

"We are not buying the land until the plans have been approved. There is also a lot of work to be done on car parking and access."

The current town cemetery, at Tower Hill, only has a maximum of another two years' use.

Suitable alternative sites are few and far between because of the high water table in many parts of the town.

The Cogges land would be separated from the nearby housing estate with the construction of the new Cogges Link Road, Mr Westbury said.