PROTECTED land near Abingdon is likely to be lumped with 1,000 new homes, in a decision a former council planner branded "appalling".

A Government planning inspector last week backed plans to build 800-home and 200-home developments in Green Belt between North Abingdon and Radley, as outlined in the Vale of White Horse District Council's draft Local Plan.

But Ticia Lever, who once worked as a planner for the council and campaigned against the proposals, said she was "hugely disappointed".

She said: "I have been in planning long enough to be fairly cynical but I felt we had a reasonable chance of succeeding because of Government policies.

"But, yet again, those were broken promises."

The Green Belt is enshrined in Government legislation as sacrosanct and can only be built on under "exceptional circumstances".

North Abingdon resident Mrs Lever, 59, added: "I am appalled that the inspector found those circumstances – there just aren't the roads or infrastructure.

"My concern is that this will open the floodgates for more Green Belt development. There will be a big backlash."

She said her campaigning body North Abingdon Local Plan Group would continue to rally against the plans before the Vale publishes its final draft, and push for their pledge to include a community centre in any future development.

Planning inspector Malcom Rivett justified the proposals, which will contribute to 3,000 new homes accepted by the council to tackle Oxford's housing need, after the city council said it did not have enough land to meet demand.

He said: "Whilst land to the south of the built-up area of Abingdon is outside the Green Belt, access difficulties and potential flooding render its development for housing highly problematic.

"Exceptional circumstances exist to justify removing from the Green Belt the sites allocated for housing in the plan to the north of Abingdon and at Radley."

In previous research published by the Vale, the triangle of North Abingdon pencilled in for development lies between Dunmore Road, Oxford Road and the A34 near Tilsley Park, plus another area encroaching onto Radley.

Abingdon town councillor Samantha Bowring said: "There are sites that have better transport links and less congestion. They are setting a precedent now that they are willing to build on Green Belt land.

"It's a real worry. Housing needs to be built closer to where employment is being proposed in Oxford so people don't have to travel in. If they can walk or cycle they might not have to commute. As someone who commutes from Abingdon to Oxford every day, it is getting quite miserable. For people in Abingdon it's just going to get worse and worse."

The district council will consider in coming months whether to accept Mr Rivett's amendments to the plan, which include scrapping 15 smaller land parcels it wanted to remove from the Green Belt.