West Oxfordshire Council said it had responded to the UK government's call for proposals to bring forward locally-led 'garden villages' of between 1,500 and 10,000 homes and 'garden towns' of more than 10,000 homes.
The council said its non-binding expression of interest relates to a greenfield site to the north of the village of Eynsham and around six miles from the centre of Oxford.
In its current form, the proposal (32-page / 4.5 MB PDF) would see at least 2,200 new homes built by 2031 "with the potential for further, longer-term growth beyond that". The council's vision also includes a science park, business and community space, a park and ride, two primary schools and public open space.
The document said the site "has no formal planning status as yet, but it is the council's intention to identify the land as part of the main local plan changes it proposes to publish for consultation in October 2016".
Planning expert Helen Stewart of Pinsent Masons, the law firm behind Out-Law.com, said: "We continue to see a growing trend in proposals for garden villages. Promoting sites through the local plan process is considered preferable to ensure certainty of support. Unsurprisingly, developers are using the opportunity to seek plan allocations while the incentive exists for local authorities to address housing supply shortages through the means of larger settlements and bring forward their local plans."