A BATTLE is looming over controversial plans to tackle the city's housing crisis.

Oxford City Council was last night warned moves to scrap building height rules could threaten views of the historic 'Dreaming Spires', despite claims the taller buildings would not be in the city centre.

The authority says the change is needed to allow thousands of extra homes to be built but conservation groups are already gearing up to fight the proposal.

Oxford Preservation Trust director Debbie Dance said: "We are at a loss to understand how this could work.

"The views of our historic city can be seen from 360 degrees – even if you put taller buildings in areas like Cowley or Headington, they will be visible behind the skyline.

"There is a risk this could spoil our famous Dreaming Spires and we would encourage people to make their views known."

It comes as the city council also faces added pressure from another direction, with neighbouring councils warnings its plans do not go far enough.

The 10,000 homes proposed in Oxford's draft Local Plan, which outlines future development, falls short of a previous figure of nearly 14,000 assigned to the city, meaning rural areas surrounding it could be asked to take on thousands of extra homes – on top of those they have already agreed to build.

John Cotton, leader of South Oxfordshire District Council, warned: "The city has gone from hardly any homes to barely any homes.

"They should not be setting limits on heights – they should invite applications for some amazing taller buildings without any restrictions."

And Vale of White Horse District Council leader Matthew Barber called on the city to 'pull its weight'.

He added: "What's being proposed is a step in the right direction but there is still more to do.

"Oxford needs to meet the commitments it signed up to. They cannot expect others to do so if they won't themselves."

A report in 2014 said Oxford would need 28,000 homes between 2011 and 2031, but the city council says it does not have room for all of these.

It secured agreement from neighbouring district councils, also including Cherwell and West Oxfordshire, to shoulder about 14,300 of the total figure but this still leaves the city with a target of 13,700.

The plan published last week for its next Local Plan suggested scrapping strict height rules and allowing greater densities to boost the number of homes built over the next 20 years.

But even with the changes, the figure is only expected to rise from 7,500 to 10,000 – meaning 3,700 may have to be built elsewhere.

City council planning chief Alex Hollingsworth said the remaining figure would have to be picked up by areas outside Oxford if a planning inspector approved the plan.

He said: "There is a process that has been agreed.

"At the end of the Local Plan process, after we have taken it through the planning inquiry stage, and if it is approved by an inspector, then other councils have agreed to take on the unmet need for housing.

"That might be a very difficult process, but it is what has been agreed."

He said the city council had looked at suggestions by other councils for where extra homes could go, including Oxford Stadium and Oxford Golf Club.

Mr Hollingsworth added: "We have made clear to them points which we do not think are correct. But it's important we are challenged on this and we want to be challenged.

"If people think we could be doing more then we want to address that."

A public consultation on the Local Plan is due to be launched in the summer.