Up to 12 affordable homes could be built on two former garage sites in Blackbird Leys under plans being developed by Oxfordshire Community Land Trust and Oxford City Council.
The proposals cover council-owned land at Pegasus Road and Balfour Road. The council has entered into an agreement for lease with the trust, which would be responsible for delivering and managing the homes if planning permission and other conditions are secured.
Planning applications are expected later in 2026, following further community engagement. The trust hopes to be in a position to start building in spring 2027, although that timetable remains conditional and no completion date has been announced.
According to the council’s announcement, the homes would be allocated to applicants on Oxford City Council’s housing register.
At a glance
| What is proposed? | Up to 12 affordable homes across two sites in Blackbird Leys |
| Locations | Former garage sites at Pegasus Road and Balfour Road |
| Who is involved? | Oxford City Council and Oxfordshire Community Land Trust |
| Current stage | An agreement for lease has been entered into. Planning permission for the homes is still required. |
| Planning applications | Expected later in 2026, following community engagement |
| Possible construction start | Spring 2027, subject to approvals and the agreement’s other conditions |
| Who would live there? | Applicants nominated from Oxford City Council’s housing register |
Details are from the council’s 29 September 2026 announcement. The proposals are not yet an approved housing development.
Why have these garage sites been chosen?
The Pegasus Road and Balfour Road sites were identified through a joint feasibility study undertaken by the council and Oxfordshire Community Land Trust in 2021.
The study examined council-owned garages and other underused land across Blackbird Leys. The council says community engagement helped identify which sites were most suitable for housing.
Funding from the government’s Brownfield Land Release Fund has already paid for the demolition of garages at Pegasus Road, preparing the land for possible redevelopment. That clearance work is separate from obtaining permission to build the proposed homes.
Councillor Linda Smith, the council’s cabinet member for housing and communities, said:
“There is a huge need for affordable homes in Oxford and every piece of land and every new home counts.”
She said using land the council already owns was particularly important, and that the partnership could turn the former garage sites into homes for people on the housing register.
How would the council and land trust partnership work?
The agreement sets out a route for Oxfordshire Community Land Trust, known as OCLT, to take on the sites under long-term leases once planning permission and the agreement’s other conditions have been met.
A separate council decision dated 30 July 2026 authorised 250-year leases, with premiums of £65,000 for Balfour Road and £50,000 for Pegasus Road. Those figures are the amounts payable for the leases, not the construction budget for the homes.
The decision record says direct development by the council or its housing company, OX Place, was considered but not selected because of resource constraints, competing delivery priorities and the opportunity to work with a community-led provider.
OCLT describes itself as a member-owned, not-for-profit organisation that holds and manages land for community benefit. It is also a registered provider of social housing.
The trust has previously completed Crofts Court, an eight-home affordable rented development on the western edge of Oxford, which opened in 2023.
Who would qualify for the homes, and how much would rents be?
The proposed Blackbird Leys homes would be delivered and managed by OCLT, with residents allocated through Oxford City Council’s housing register. They would not be council-managed homes simply because the land belongs to the council.
The council’s July decision report refers to social and affordable rented housing and provisions intended to protect long-term affordability. However, the September announcement does not specify individual rents, service charges or the final mix of tenancies.
It also does not give a breakdown of how many homes would be built on each site, their bedroom sizes or whether they would be houses or flats.
People seeking social housing can use the council’s application and eligibility information. The council assesses whether applicants qualify for its register and uses a banding system to prioritise housing need.
Its guidance for applicants warns that waiting times can be long, including for people in significant need. Joining the register does not guarantee an offer, and this announcement does not open applications for these particular homes.
What happens next, and how can residents have their say?
OCLT plans further community engagement before submitting applications for both sites later this year.
Jonathan Miller, a director of the trust, said:
“Following a short period of community engagement, we plan to submit planning applications for both sites later this year, setting out our vision to transform these former disused sites into permanently affordable homes in perpetuity.”
The announcement does not give consultation dates, venues or a deadline for comments. Residents seeking information about getting involved can contact the trust through its Blackbird Leys project page or email info@oclt.org.uk.
Once planning applications are published, residents will be able to inspect the proposals and submit comments through Oxford City Council’s planning application service. That will be a separate process from the trust’s pre-application engagement.
For now, spring 2027 is a possible construction start rather than a confirmed date. The number and design of the homes remain subject to the planning process and the conditions attached to the land agreement.
