A TORRENT of opposition awaits a developer seeking to build 1,000 new homes that would 'swallow up' land between Didcot and neighbouring villages.

Parish councillors across South Oxfordshire have pledged to protest after Taylor Wimpey outlined its plans for the new scheme.

The developer, one of Britain's biggest, has asked South Oxfordshire District Council for its formal opinion on the plans which would see the homes built on fields south of Didcot's new Great Western Park estate, next to Park Road.

The opinion will be used to inform an application for outline planning permission at a later date.

If it went ahead, the development – known as Hagbourne Fields – would leave no 'breathing space' between Didcot and the villages of West Hagbourne and East Hagbourne, Didcot Town Council leader Bill Service warned.

He said that the plans would not fit with Didcot's Government-endorsed 'Garden Town' ambitions, which will create 20,000 new houses in the area by 2033, because that plan aims to protect a green circle around the town.

Mr Service said: "We have long worked with our colleagues in the villages to protect the breathing space between them and Didcot.

"No houses should be built on that land.

"The town simply does not have the infrastructure to cope with any more people. All the roads in and out are now blocked most of the time which never happened before."

The town council is not the planning authority but will be voicing opposition to the plans when it can.

Two separate proposals seeking to build 135 and 74 new homes in the same area were met with fierce opposition from campaigners earlier this year..

West Hagbourne Parish Council chairman Michael Butler said the new homes because would increase traffic and encroach on the village's unique identity.

Mr Butler said: "We don't want to become a southern suburb of Didcot. We would lose the character of the village entirely.

"None of the proposed new properties take into account the increase in traffic. There's only one road through the village and we already suffer a lot."

Chair of the neighbouring East Hagbourne parish council David Rickeard agreed.

He said: "We would not welcome this at all. At the moment our village has a very different character to Didcot. We are only a community of 500 people so an influx of over 1,000 would obviously have a significant impact."

A Taylor Wimpey spokesperson said: "We are currently at a very early stage in the process but will ensure that any proposals successfully and positively integrate with the local community.

"In developing our scheme great care will be taken to respect the surrounding landscape and neighbouring residential areas, and our new homes will be designed to be in keeping with Didcot’s built character and Garden Town status."

For more information search the district council's website with the reference P17/S3029/SCO.