OXFORDSHIRE's director of public health has warned that authorities must not let the gains made under the NHS ‘healthy new towns’ pilot schemes in Bicester and Barton be lost once funding stops next year.

With more than 80,000 new homes needed in Oxfordshire by 2030, it is vital that public health is factored into new developments, said Dr Jonathan McWilliam.

Bicester and Barton are already reaping the benefits of the initiative, he said, but leaders must now consider how to ensure the health benefits continue and grow, before the NHS withdraws funding in March 2019.

While labelling this year's annual public health report a 'positive' one, Dr McWilliam highlighted a 'cocktail' of factors such as population growth, obesity and mental wellbeing, as factors which will continue to worsen unless action is taken.

He said the healthy new towns' offered 'new solutions' to the key problems facing Oxfordshire.

Dr McWilliam said: “The great thing about healthy new towns is they not only help people exercise and lose weight, they involve the local community, work with local schools and health services - it’s the whole thing.

“National funding runs out in March, so local leaders will now be thinking what do we do about that?

“It’s an important issue."

The healthy new towns form part of the NHS Five Year Forward View and aim to improve population health, as well as integrating health and care services into community planning.

In 2016, 10 sites were chosen across the country including 393 houses in the Elmsbrook project and the 885-home development in Barton.

The schemes aimed specifically to reduce obesity and social isolation in Bicester with 58 per cent of women and 65 per cent of men overweight or obese.

Meanwhile male life expectancy in Barton, Oxford is 12.6 years lower than that in North Oxford ward just four miles away.

As a result of the scheme, the city council has since included a new police within the Oxford Local Plan 2036, stipulating that for developments of more than nine dwellings or 1000m2 a health impact assessment must be carried out.

Perhaps more tangibly, Barton has introduced three new dementia -friendly trails, while in Bicester, three 5k circular 'health routes' have been marked out in blue, known as the 'Bicester Blue Lines', while children take part in a daily one mile run.

The learning from these two sites is 'pure gold', said Dr McWilliam and a 'real gift to Oxford'.

He added: “We are seeing the benefits already.

“School children are running 'the daily mile', they are walking to school more often, residents will be walking on the Bicester blue lines as we speak.

"All of these things have already happened.

“For me the potential of healthy new towns whether, it's at the two current sites or it goes further, is there but it takes time for plans to mature so I suspect they have more to offer in the future.

"It’s like watching a tree bear fruit and I think we’ve only started to see the first crop.”