The intended realignment of the A4095 will be delayed after funds earmarked for the project were redirected to Abingdon.
The first phase of the Howes Lane realignment was completed last Easter with the insertion of the bridge over the railway line and a new underpass near the junction of Bucknell Road and Howes Lane which were set to accommodate the new road but the works on the road have now been postponed after the Liberal Democrat-led administration at Oxfordshire County Council recommended the £15 million held in reserve for the scheme be reallocated to two projects in Abingdon.
Funds for the project came from the Oxfordshire Housing and Growth Deal which was Government money that was made available to Oxfordshire to pay for infrastructure projects to support housing growth in the area but the money was time-sensitive and Oxfordshire County Council claimed that the Howes Lane project could not be delivered in the required time frame.
Both Oxfordshire County Council and Cherwell District Council have reiterated their commitment to delivering the road and will now look to secure alternative funding to bring it to fruition.
Bicester North Councillors Donna Ford (Oxfordshire County Council), Lynn Pratt (Cherwell District Council), Nick Mawer (Cherwell District Council), and Jason Slaymaker (Cherwell District Council) have expressed their regret at the announcement.
“We are extremely disappointed this work has been postponed. We understand that the money granted from the Government had a deadline for spend that it was felt could no longer be met but the realignment of Howes Lane is a significant piece of infrastructure for our part of Bicester and it is vital we do not let it slip.
We have let the strength of our feelings about the postponement be known and we will continue to press for the completion of this work at the earliest possible opportunity.”
