A REVIEW of the Green Belt could be completed in just a year, the leader of Oxford City Council has said.

Oxfordshire’s district councils have been unable to agree on whether a review should take place, over renewed pressure to build more homes from the Strategic Housing Market Assessment (SHMA) in March.

The SHMA report said 100,000 extra homes were needed across the county by 2031.

And Oxford’s own target means it must find room for about 20,000 homes outside its own boundaries, because planners are struggling to find space inside them.

In an attempt to allow the city to expand further, the council is pushing for a Green Belt review.

It could put forward land near Grenoble Road for development, where officials want to build a 4,000-home development.

But it has been unable to agree with South Oxfordshire District Council, which is the planning authority for the land.

City council leader Bob Price said: “Now we have the SHMA numbers, the city is making the case for a review of the Green Belt. A recent meeting of the districts and the Government Planning Inspectorate identified that a Green Belt review would take no more than 12 months.”

It comes after the city council produced its own document, suggesting areas around the city for development, including land near Wheatley, Kidlington and Grenoble Road.

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