Developer KJJ Properties has applied for permission to build 43 affordable homes on the bowling green, which has lain empty for years.

Previously maintained by Oakley Miners’ Welfare Club, the green was sold in 2007 and has since fallen into disrepair.

The site has now been cleared of buildings amid plans for 31 houses and 12 flats on the plot.

A design statement submitted by architects Davidson Baxter Partnership on behalf of KJJ said the affordable homes would be managed by a housing association.

Flats that are adapted for specific needs and disabled residents would be included alongside a mixture of two, three and four-bedroom homes.

The design statement said: “This development proposal seeks to re-enliven a currently underused piece of land at the heart of the community.

“The housing will help to reduce heating costs compared to existing housing stock and make the properties more affordable to run from a tenant’s perspective.”