Proposals for the next stage of the North Swindon development were displayed for public comment between 13 and 17 November before they are put to Swindon Council's planning committee in January.

The area to the north of the Northern Orbital Road (NOR) will be called Oakhurst and includes the site for the North Swindon secondary school, due to open in 2003 or 2004.

The area will feature strong planning characteristics, moving away from the suburban appearance of many parts of Swindon with approximately 14 dwellings per acre.

An 'urban core' around a village centre will have three and four floor townhouses with a density of twenty per acre. There will be lower densities in a formal area and a rural area, next to a site of special scientific interest.

Building work will start in the middle of next year at the centre of the development area around the village centre, adjacent to the secondary school site. Swindon planners hope that both will be completed at the same time.

The plans can be seen at Swindon Council's Premier House office on Station Road until Christmas, but comments are required by 8 December.

Plans for the village of Redhouse, to the south of the NOR will be put on display in the Spring and will be considered by the planning committee later in the year. However house building to the north and south of the road will take place at the same time.