Decision due on new stadium plans

Council planners are due to make a decision on Oxford United's proposed new stadium.

Cherwell District Council's planning committee is set to meet at 16:00 BST to discuss plans for a new purpose-built 16,000-seater ground on land known as the Triangle, near Kidlington.

The football club has warned that if the proposals are not approved by the local authority then it would have no home stadium after June 2027.

The five-hectare (12-acre) site is located south of Kidlington roundabout, west of Banbury Road, east of Frieze Way and near Oxford Parkway Station.

The club currently play at the Kassam Stadium and its owner, Firoka Group, has agreed the U's can play there for two more seasons.

There will be an option to extend the deal for another year, which will be conditional on planning permission for the club's proposed new stadium being granted.

Both parties have said that no further extensions or new lease agreements for the Kassam will be possible.

The planned capacity for the stadium at the Triangle is 16,000

The council received about 4,900 responses from the public about the application and its planning report contained details of objections from local campaigners.

The U's new complex could include a 180-bed hotel, restaurant, conference centre and community plaza.

There were concerns that the proposed stadium would be built near ancient woodland but Natural England concluded that would not be the case.

If the council backs the application then it will be referred to the Secretary of State, which is a standard procedure for such large-scale applications.