CONCERNED villagers have questioned the decision of developers to build 100 new homes on a site they say is prone to flooding.

Bryant Homes has submitted a planning application to West Oxfordshire District Council to build on land in East Eynsham, west of the B4449 bypass. Eynsham resident and secretary of the West Oxfordshire branch of the Campaign to Protect Rural England group, Mary Fletcher, is one of those opposed to the plans.

Mrs Fletcher, 70, of Queen Street, said: “Bryant Homes are saying that the site has never flooded, but it was badly hit during the floods in 2007.

“We have pictures of the site under water. People living nearby have legitimate concerns that this development will have a negative effect on their homes.

“The land is also within a conservation area, so we don’t understand how they can develop this.”

Angela Coulter’s home in the Bitterell area of Eynsham is adjacent to the land the developers want to build on.

Dr Coulter, 60, said: “We accept that people need homes and that home must be built, we even welcome homes being built in Eynsham.

“But this particular site is a very bad choice.”

As well as flooding issues surrounding the site, Dr Coulter said concerns had also been raised over access to the new development and its impact on the local waste system.

The building of the road through the Bitterell is not possible and developers have suggested an entrance to the site from the by-pass.

Dr Coulter said: “This is a very busy road in the rush hours, and traffic moves very quickly along here. I do not think that this would be a safe option.

“And there is a sewage pumping station on the other side of the road that regularly backs up and 100 more houses will put more pressure on this.”

West Oxfordshire District Council said it had received an application, but that no date had yet been set for a decision, as it awaits independent reports from various agencies.

A spokesman added: “It’s still very much as the consultation stage so we can’t say any more.”

A spokesman for Bryant Homes said: “We have undertaken a number of studies and surveys regarding potential flooding of this site, and these are being reviewed by the Environment Agency and local authority as part of their consideration of the planning application.”