Oxford short of land for houses

The city of Oxford does not have enough land to house its population.

According to the Oxford Land Availability and Unmet Need Assessment report, the city had space for about 10,200 new homes, leaving a shortfall of up to 21,800 homes, BBC reported.

The results of the report, commissioned by the Oxford City Council, show that a review of the city's Green Belt is "urgently needed".

"In light of this enormous need, the city council is determined to ensure the most thorough assessment yet of the availability of housing land in Oxford," the report quoted Bob Price, leader of the Oxford City Council, as saying.

 

However, Green Party leader Sam Hollick was in favour of looking at empty commercial sites for redevelopment rather than targeting the Green Belt.

"You do not want to be built up wall-to-wall and have no access to green space," he was quoted as saying.