New homes planned at disused Banbury and Bicester sites

Eight sites in Oxfordshire could be transformed into supported and affordable housing under new council plans.

Oxfordshire County Council has agreed to sell four sites in Banbury and four in Bicester, most of which are disused, to Cherwell District Council.

The plans would see the sites revamped into a mixture of houses and flats. Numbers are yet to be confirmed.

It is hoped work, if approved, will be completed by March 2015.

The sites set for regeneration in Banbury are: Former care homes Orchard Lodge on Warwick Road and Lincoln House on Wood Green; Calthorpe House on Calthorpe Road; and Broughton Road.

In Bicester the sites are: Land at Coach House Mews off London Road; and three sites at Old Place Yard including Bicester Library - which is subject to a new library being built as part of a redevelopment plan of the town centre - former care home St Edburg's and disused offices.

The county council said the cost of the deal was still being finalised.

The work, which is subject to planning consent, is expected to begin on some of the sites later this year.

All sites will form part of the district council's Build! project which encourages people to play a part in building their own homes in exchange for cheaper rents or sale prices.

The project aims to provide 250 homes in the Cherwell district by the end of the 2014/15 financial year.

It is mainly funded by the Homes and Communities Agency (HCA) and also provides training to applicants, such as plumbing, tiling and electrical work.