Concerns have been raised about a housing development comprising 1,000 homes that may damage heritage remains from the Roman period if built to the west of Bicester.
The homes would sit on agricultural land located west of Bicester, situated between the A41 and Blackthorn Road.
Nevertheless, an environmental evaluation document for the initial proposals has flagged dangers of destroying an area of significant archaeological importance.
The scheme would also include an 80-bed care home, a community centre and open spaces for leisure purposes.
Archaeological surveys of the site, which lies within a zone featuring widespread Roman-period activity, uncovered various elements including field systems, hollows, tracks, timber post settings, ring-shaped trenches, possible field division markers and pottery kiln remains.
Going ahead, an outline planning application must be submitted alongside an Environmental Statement to assess any substantial environmental impacts.
Further worries have been voiced about nature conservation areas, road infrastructure, inadequate sewage treatment capacity and missing services, particularly the lack of any proposals for educational establishments.
Berks, Bucks & Oxon Wildlife has expressed significant concerns about the siting and cumulative ecological effects.
The area stretches Bicester towards a cluster of protected nature reserves, meadows and locations of special scientific interest, including a 22-hectare wildlife zone situated within 100 metres.
The organization warns that building work could interfere with vital wildlife corridors, conflicting with local development plan policies.
With plans for an Oxfordshire Strategic Rail Freight Interchange near Junction 10, a Puy du Four theme park and extensive housebuilding at RAF Upper Heyford, these ventures could result in almost unbroken urban expansion, destroying environments for species that need non-urban settings.
Ambrosden Parish Council recorded strong objection to the unscheduled site, local circumstances, infrastructure, biodiversity and highway issues.
Launton Parish Council detailed anxieties, pointing out that stormwater runoff could endanger Launton Brook, worries about amalgamation with Wretchwick Farm and the requirement for improvements to the local drainage network.
Bicester Town Council and Blackthorn Parish Council provided no comments during the report drafting stage.
Oxfordshire County Council, acting as the highways authority, has determined that the supplied transport assessment parameters are inadequate and must be agreed upon, covering key A41 junctions including Ploughley Road, Oxford Road, Lakeview Drive and the Rodney House roundabout.
The council requires a full collision study along the A41, where a fatal crash has taken place, to investigate contributing circumstances and design factors, agreed car journey rates, computations for 18 and 24-hour traffic flows and an assessment of potential changes to speed limit zones.
Alongside the parish councils, the county council noted the lack of any proposed educational facilities and thus potential deficiencies in nursery, primary and secondary school provision.
Consequently, the county council stresses the need for active travel links to Wretchwick Green’s approved primary school and Kingsmere secondary school.
The applicant must now prepare a comprehensive environmental statement addressing the flagged issues, commission an extended transport study working with the county council, carry out an archaeological evaluation and formulate a wildlife strategy.