Press release – immediate use

New roads in Oxfordshire – time for a rethink

Oxfordshire Roads Action Alliance (1) has welcomed the Department for Transport’s review of its current spending on transport infrastructure projects inherited from the previous government. The review includes all the DfT’s new roads. (2)

The LibDem/Green run highways authority at Oxfordshire County Council inherited its own extensive new road building programme from the previous council administration. ORAA is concerned by the continued emphasis on the county’s biggest ever road building programme. The community alliance is urging the council to conduct its own transport infrastructure spending review. A review presents an opportunity to cancel outdated or unfunded road capacity schemes and invest in the County’s transport priorities of public transport, walking and cycling and maintaining roads. (Local Transport and Connectivity Plan ) (3)

ORAA considers the County Council should review the business cases for two legacy road projects in particular – the Didcot Relief Road HIF1 scheme and the Watlington Relief Road. ORAA is opposing both schemes which if built would join up to a major new expressway between the A34 and M40 Junction 6 and a transformation of the rural south of Oxfordshire.

HIF1

The HIF1 road scheme is waiting for the Secretary of State for Housing to make a decision on the planning application. If approved it would be one of the most expensive in the UK.  Costs have already risen by almost 50% to £332.5M and are likely to reach over £400M by March 28.  That is £55M per mile for a 7.5 mile road to nowhere. (4)

WRR

Oxfordshire County Council claims the Watlington Relief Road scheme is fully funded. (5) The budget was approved in 2021 (6). The project depends on funding from the Oxfordshire Housing & Growth Deal. This funding stream expires in March 2025 and the County Council is yet to receive the final £30m growth deal payment.  Work is ongoing to assess the deliverability of the scheme but it does not include if the budget is sufficiently robust or has been understated. (7)

Proposed County road schemes are mostly in Local Plans justified on the basis of supporting housebuilding. ORAA believes the County should pause any further new road building. It also needs to review how transport and planning policies interact so that new housing does not swamp South Oxfordshire with traffic or destroy the countryside. Money for new roads currently far exceeds spending on active travel. ORAA wants to see this rebalanced to reflect the ‘transport hierarchy’ contained in the County Council’s existing transport strategy.

Speaking for ORAA, co-chair Chris Church said:

“The truth is that the HIF1 road is very poor value for money.  The public money that would be spent on this road amounts to a £28k subsidy for each new planned house. That could rise to £35k if further government funding is required.  This is no way to solve our housing problems.  There are far better ways to deliver infrastructure for new homes than piling it all into roads. It’s time for an urgent review.”

Debbie Davies, ORAA member said:

” In June, the County Council was told it had to include the effects of extra traffic if it builds an alternative road at Watlington. This change to the scope means the budget that was last approved in 2021, needs to be reconsidered by the council and low cost alternatives must be included in the review. This is the process all other government transport infrastructure schemes are undergoing for the good reason of value for public money.”

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For further information contact Chris Church on 07710 409590 or Debbie Davies debbieeditorial@aol.com

Notes for Editors

  1. Oxfordshire Roads Action Alliance is a community alliance and campaign group opposed to unsustainable transport schemes

  2. The DfT revealed £2.9 billion it claims were unfunded transport commitments this year by the previous government. An internal review of all DfT capital spend on transport projects is to make recommendations about current and future schemes. New roads projects on the A303 and A27 have been cancelled. (30th July 2024)

  3. Oxfordshire County Council Local Transport and Connectivity Plan
  4. Didcot Garden Town Housing Infrastructure Fund (HIF1) AMENDMENTS TO THE GRANT DETERMINATION AGREEMENT 16th July 2024 .
  5. Funding Watlington Relief Road
  6. Oxfordshire County Council Watlington Relief Road Business Case

  7. Oxfordshire Housing and Growth Deal: Update at the end of Quarter 4 2023/24 Date: 30 July 2024 Report by: Executive Director of Resources & Section 151 Officer, Oxfordshire County Council 3.2.4 The planning decision for Watlington Relief Road is anticipated later this year. Work is ongoing to assess the impact of this and the ongoing deliverability of the scheme. 3.2.5 A final update on the schemes will be shared with Future Oxfordshire Partnership (FOP) as part of the report for Quarter 1 of 2024/25 in September 2024.

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