THE county's Budget boost could have a 'devastating impact' on the countryside and Green Belt land around Oxford.

As well as announcing a £215m deal for 100,000 homes in the county by 2031, the Chancellor Philip Hammond revealed the Oxford to Cambridge Expressway would be 'accelerated' and that one million homes could be built along the corridor between the two cities.

He also pledged to complete East-West Rail phase two, linking Oxford and Bedford by 2024 with as many as five new towns, some built to 'city scale', created along the corridor.

The Campaign to Protect Rural England backed the rail link but warned the Expressway and housing numbers could cut through large swathes of countryside.

CPRE Oxfordshire director, Helen Marshall, said: "While we strongly support proposals to improve East-West rail connections, we remain deeply sceptical of the supposed benefits of building major new dual carriageways through the countryside.

"Plans for the hugely expensive 'expressway' road, far from tackling congestion, would increase traffic and caused longer journey times with people commuting further and further.

She added: "Problems for the countryside will also be exacerbated by the decision to promote new large-scale housing developments along the road."

The Expressway route could leave the A34 at Abingdon and plough through 10 miles of Green Belt land south of Oxford or career through Thame and Haddenham.

But a third option, preferred by campaigners, would upgrade the A34 and junction nine of the M40 and then run past Bicester towards Milton Keynes.

A recent National Infrastructure Commission report suggesting the route should follow the same corridor as East West Rail has given campaigners renewed hope.

But Mr Hammond's Budget on Wednesday revealed the missing link of the £3bn expressway may not be decided until 2030.

County council leader Ian Hudspeth said the Budget deal would provide the infrastructure to support the new homes.

He said: "Everyone agrees we need houses but the reason people don't like them is the lack of infrastructure

"You can't have houses without any infrastructure in place, but this deal will provide that infrastructure."

The county further benefitted from Wednesday's budget with the announcement that phase two of East West Rail – from Bicester to Bedford and Milton Keynes to Princes Risborough would be completed by 2024.

A new independent company will be formed to accelerate the central section between Bedford and Cambridge.

Chairman of East West Rail consortium, Mark Shaw, said: “There have been countless twists and turns in our campaign to get this vital piece of infrastructure built.

“Now, finally, we know with certainty that the section between Oxford and Bedford, and Aylesbury and Milton Keynes , will be delivered by the early 2020s.”