Shores Green pledge was given at inquiry (From Witney Gazette)

Shores Green pledge was given at Cogges Link Road inquiry

11:00am Wednesday 31st October 2012 in Letters

Sir – I was rather surprised – well, actually I wasn’t that surprised, it’s the sort of thing to which we’ve become accustomed from Oxfordshire County Council – to note Councillor Ian Hudspeth’s claim (Witney Gazette Letters last week) that “the [Cogges Link Road] inquiry inspector’s decision has delayed a solution to the traffic issues in Witney by several years”.

Perhaps Mr Hudspeth might care to have another read of the inspector’s report to the Transport Secretary. In particular, paragraph 7.51, which states: “The council has said that, if the Orders and Application are not confirmed, then it would make an early start on preparations for the Shores Green slip roads.”

One wonders whether the council felt so confident that the proposals for its pet white elephant would be endorsed by the inspector, that it risked making this statement in its evidence to the public inquiry.

Nevertheless an “early start”, Mr Hudspeth, is the commitment your council made and upon which we now expect you to deliver.

A few years’ delay, presumably while you try to wrest money out of potential housing developers, is wholly unacceptable.

Oxfordshire County Council gave a clear commitment, now get on with it.

N WILCOCK, Manor Road, Cogges