MORE than 100 new homes and a care home for 80 elderly people could be built on an industrial site in Witney town centre.

Wiltshire-based property deve-lopers Bower Mapson has submitted a planning application to build the homes on the Buttercross Works and Pine Lodge in Station Lane.

The site is currently occupied by 120,000 sq ft of concrete warehousing and industrial units, which contains Poundstretcher and a wholesale cash and carry centre for independent traders.

West Oxfordshire District Council’s Lowlands area planning committee is expected to consider the application on Monday, October 17, and is consulting the public on the plans.

If the scheme is approved, the homes, next to the Leys recreation ground, will be connected to the town centre with a series of walkways.

Designer Peter Mapson said the firm had reached an agreement to buy the site from owner Rod Baker once the scheme was approved.

He added: “Building work would take a couple of years to complete and we hope work would start some time in 2012.

“We have been talking to planning officers about the designs of these homes for about 18 months.

“We wanted to produce homes with individual character, not just a bland housing estate. There will be space between the buildings with nice winding lanes opening out onto squares, and we will make sure that there are good footpath links to sites all around.

“Two bedroom homes will start at about £150,000 and there will also be three and four-bedroom homes for sale, with some flats aimed at retirement couples.”

Mr Mapson added that 50 per cent of the care home would be affordable housing, with Witney’s Cottsway Housing Association running the premises.

He said the care home – known as an extra-care facility – would tailor its services around the increasing needs of residents as they aged.

The whole site is designated for mixed residential and business use in local planning documents.

Warwick Robinson, chairman of the Lowlands planning committee, said councillors would consider whether the scheme fitted the mixed use criteria laid down in the Local Plan.

Bower Mapson will display its plans at the Corn Exchange in Witney on Friday, September 30.