Golfers brand college's £900m plans 'misleading'

A golfing campaign group has criticised what it describes as "misleading statements" in an Oxford University college's plans for a £900m research facility.

The 118-year-old North Oxford Golf Course closed in October to make way for a housing development.

The Greenway group, made up of former club members, said it was "appalled" Exeter College was planning more development on a site earmarked for a replacement course.

The college said it had accepted "some elements" of a recent planning statement regarding its proposals "do not accurately represent evidence in the prior local plan inquiry".

Oxford University, Merton College and Exeter College, the course owners, had come to an agreement with the club, offering them £4.3m to leave the site.

Greenway had tried to stop the development plans, but was not successful, and in the Cherwell District Council local plan an alternative course site was proposed at Frieze Farm.

Earlier this year, Exeter College submitted plans for a supercomputer innovation district, EXOq, on the green belt farm south of Kidlington.

Greenway described the situation as a "betrayal" and has now also alleged "inaccuracy" in the college's proposals.

Spokesman David Young said: "Exeter College's planning statement claims that it never suggested or proposed that Frieze Farm was available to mitigate the redevelopment of the North Oxford Golf Course."

He described this as "simply not true and in fact the college gave assurances that Frieze Farm could be used if necessary as a replacement site for the golf course".

"That is important as it was pivotal in the public inquiry decision to allow housing on the golf course," he said.

"We expect more from Exeter than this."

He said the statements mean the consultation, which has now ended, was "based on a wholly inaccurate picture".

A spokesperson for Exeter said: "The college has a wide range of consultations that are coming through and we will draw these together and then make a single set of updates to the application and the environment statement as necessary at the appropriate time."