THE LAST green field separating a quiet neighbourhood from a 1,500-home development in Wantage will become a housing estate, new plans have revealed.

The owners of Uncle Tom's Field next Charlton Village Road, north east Charlton, have unveiled plans to build 80 homes on it.

The 2.3 hectare square was the only green space separating homes from what will become the massive Crab Hill development, surrounding Charlton to the north and east.

The proposal of the design has been submitted to Vale of White Horse District Council by Abingdon planning agency Kemp and Kemp on behalf of the owners.

Principle planner Robert Froud-Williams told the Vale he was making the application on behalf of "Mrs Barker and Mr Smith".

The application at this stage is only an initial query, known as a "screening opinion" application, which seeks to establish whether a developer would need to carry out an Environment Impact Assessment before submitting a full planning application.

In his application, Mr Froud-Williams concluded the estate would not require an EIA because the development plans were "not likely to have... wide-ranging effects" and "do not pose potentially hazardous environmental effects".

He also said the proposals "would not have a significant urbanising effect on the area, mindful of the development already permitted (i.e. Crab Hill)".

Residents can see the full screening opinion application online at whitehorsedc.gov.uk using reference number P16/V1368/SCR.

The Vale is aiming to respond to Kemp and Kemp by Thursday, June 16.

Members of public are not consulted at this stage but will be able to comment when Kemp and Kemp submits a full planning application with more detailed designs.

Mr Froud-Williams said that was likely to be later this year.

Meanwhile, detailed designs for the 1,500-home Crab Hill estate are also expected to be submitted this summer.

Vale planning officer Stuart Walker told a council meeting in April he was expecting a detailed planning application for the 92-hectare site "in the next six months".

It comes more than two years after London "housing promoter" Lands Improvement Holdings won outline planning permission to build the estate.

The company was acting on behalf of a consortium of landowners, predominantly made up of two farming families.

The site, which stretches for 227 acres around the Charlton Heights estate, was expected to fetch more than £50m.

Lands Improvement was granted permission for the principle of the scheme in February 2014, but has since been trying to sell the site to a housing developer.

Once a developer buys the land to build homes it will still need permission for the detailed design.