CONTROVERSIAL plans for a giant new housing development in Didcot have gone on show.

Developer Taylor Wimpey showcased the proposals at a public exhibition on Thursday, following the approval of a preliminary 'scoping opinion' by South Oxfordshire District Council last month.

The public were invited to share their thoughts on the development, which will see about 1,000 new homes built south of Great Western Park.

But though a formal planning application has yet to be submitted, town and parish councillors have already voiced strong opposition to the scheme.

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

He also said that the plans would not fit with Didcot's Government-endorsed Garden Town ambitions, which would create 20,000 new houses in the area by 2033, because that plan aimed 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."

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.

When the original application was submitted in August, a Taylor Wimpey spokesman defended the company's plans saying: "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."