NEW homes at Bicester’s eco town will be able to cope with severe hot weather predicted by climate experts.

A2 Dominion say the 393 houses in the first phase of the 5,000-home eco town on farmland at North West Bicester will be future- proofed to deal with global warming.

Homes will be designed to stay cool during hot weather and will allow for window shutters – used in hot countries to keep rooms cool – to be added in the future.

The move comes after research into the impact of climate change on buildings by a team based at Oxford Brookes University, called the low carbon building group of the Oxford Institute for Sustainable Development (OISD).

A2 Dominion hopes to start work on the site by May.