EXTRA time will be given to a cross-county plan to look at how Oxfordshire will look in 2050.

The Oxfordshire Plan 2050 team said it has worked with government to agree a new timeline to produce the 'best plan for the people of Oxfordshire'.

The project is part of the £215m Oxfordshire Housing and Growth Deal agreed by the Oxfordshire Growth Board's councils with the government in March 2018.

As part of that, councils will look at how best to deliver new homes and infrastructure and other improvements.

A new public consultation will take place in spring 2020 and a further consultation will take place in autumn 2020.

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It will then be submitted in spring 2021 with the hope it will be adopted by March 2022.

The group said it will allow the plan to be aligned better with other projects, including those in the Oxford-Cambridge Arc.

James Mills, the leader of West Oxfordshire District Council and the chairman of the Oxfordshire Plan 2050 member sub-group, said: “All of Oxfordshire’s authorities are committed to working together on the Oxfordshire Plan 2050 so we can help secure a better future for all."

Mr Mills said: “We know this is our chance to determine and define our future and as such we want to get it right.

“The new timeline gives us more time to achieve this and make sure the Plan is the best it can be.

“It’s also means we can better inform linked projects, such as the Oxford-Cambridge Arc, and plan accordingly for the opportunities they may create.”

The decision was signed off at the Oxfordshire Growth Board on Tuesday in Didcot.