Plans for a flyover bridge near a railway level crossing has made villagers furious.

Appleford Parish Council wants to see changes to a new road which would link Didcot with the Culham Science Centre.

Residents in Appleford are unhappy with the bridge that would overlook the village and one parish councillor said it will change the view from Wittenham Clumps forever.

A survey conducted by the parish council showed that 90 per cent of villagers opposed the idea of a new road close to their community.

Some people in the area are concerned about noise and pollution from the road and the raised embankment which would cut off Appleford from Sutton Courtenay.

Villagers argue that the road would also harm shared services by limiting access to Appleford station, and the Millennium Common nature reserve.

The parish council says it is working with the county council on improvements to the design and on finding alternative alignments that will move the road away from the railway level crossing so that the expensive flyover bridge will not be needed.

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The council is supportive however, of the county’s offer to create an off-road pedestrian and cycle path between Appleford and Sutton Courtenay. It says it would maintain the historic connections between the villages and shared services such as the school and post office.

Parish councillor Greg O’Broin said: “Our objective is to raise awareness not just in Appleford but more widely. The road needs to be moved so that a raised flyover is not required.

“We want a constructive dialogue with the county council to find an alignment at ground level so that a sidings bridge and trailing embankment stretching some distance on both sides are not required.”

He added: “The reality is that the road with a raised embankment and bridge over the sidings will scar the entire local area landscape.

“It will be visibly close to Sutton Courtenay who will also be badly affected by noise pollution and emissions.

“Even the view from the Wittenham Clumps will be changed forever. We believe there are alternatives and these must be fully examined”.

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New schemes for the Didcot area are costing more than £234m of which the government agency Homes England will contribute £218m. The county council and developers will also contribute.

Other schemes include widening the A4130 Didcot to the A34 and a new Science bridge over the road and railway to the old Didcot A power station which will become part of a science and technology business centre. A bypass for Clifton Hampden is also proposed as part of the scheme.

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