Relief road: 'No money to build'

3:16pm Tuesday 19th August 2008

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NO one knows if and when Witney's other major town centre relief road, the West End Link, will ever be completed.

Inquiries by the Gazette this week reveal that the road, providing another town crossing over the River Windrush, is still within the Local Plan, and, therefore, an aspiration.

But Oxfordshire County Council, the highways authority, admits it has no money to build it. And the chances of getting the money are really dependent on whether there will be yet more housebuilding in the north of the town.

Meanwhile, to judge by comments on the Gazette's website this week, public opinion doubts the usefulness of the county's decision to forge ahead with the Cogges Link Road.

Also, an online poll was running neck and neck between preference for the Cogges Link and the alternative of expanding the Shores Green junction on the A40 Witney bypass. Strange voting patterns over the weekend, though, have since skewed the results. As reported in last week's Gazette, the county still believes the £16.4m link road is the better option, and hopes to have it open by 2012. But the local branch of the Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE) is to press for a public inquiry. As Witney continues to expand, both local authorities and people living in the town agree major changes are needed to the inadequate road system.

Although the county is against changes to the Shore Green junction to the east of the town, it does say that it plans to go ahead with a new A40 junction in the west at Downs Road. It is to be tied in to the town's next planned expansion with new housing at the North Curbridge site.

Paul Smith, county council spokesman, said: "Based on current estimates, we believe we have enough funding to deliver a roundabout on the A40 adjacent to the Downs Road over-bridge.

"However, further work is being carried out to obtain more detailed costings, and also to look at how future housing and employment development options that are being considered by the district council would affect the performance of the junction.

"This work is due to be completed by the end of the year, when a decision will be taken on how to progress the scheme."

Construction of the West End Link was split into two parts. The first, linking Burford Road and Welch Way, has been completed - named Woodford Way. The second, and more crucial section, linking Burford Road with the junction of West End and Hailey Road and crossing the River Windrush, is still on the drawing board. Planners call it WEL2.

Barry Norton, leader of the district council, said this week: "The second section is obviously much more expensive and, because the county has no money, it remains an aspiration.

"Several years ago, we were talking of several million pounds, and realistically the money will have to come from developers. The Witney North consortium of landowners and developers wanting to build in the north of the town promised to pay for it, but the town's next area of growth is likely to be in the west. Developer funding is, therefore, not imminent."

A statement from the county council for the Gazette said this week: "Our current policy is to deliver Cogges Link first and to then investigate what impact Cogges had had on traffic flows in the town, before re-evaluating the need for WEL2.

"There is currently no funding to deliver WEL2, so, if we did decide to pursue it, we would have to secure further funding from somewhere."

Urgency to address the town's road system was this week reflected in web comments. Chris, of Witney, said: "Something needs to be done with Witney's roads, whether it's this (Cogges Link) or something else. Either this plan needs to be allowed to go ahead or it needs to be put to bed and an alternative road built."

Richard, of Witney, wrote: "I am sick to death of a 1.5-mile journey taking my son to school every morning taking 45 mins, and the same picking him up."