A £269 million transport network in Didcot has progressed to the next stage despite calls to pause the project over financial and environmental concerns.

Oxfordshire County Council has started its tendering process for detailed design and early work on the Didcot and surrounding areas major infrastructure project (HIF1).

But it has been labelled ‘financially and environmentally impossible to justify’ by Green Party county and district councillors in Oxfordshire.

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HIF1 is the combination of four projects to ensure there is capacity to connect a wave of new houses set to be built to the south of Oxford.

This includes the building of a dual carriageway on the A4130 east of Milton Interchange, a new road bridge over the A4130, railway line and Milton Road, a river crossing linking Didcot to Culham and a bypass for Clifton Hampden.

But Green Party councillors want the project paused following calls from the government’s Climate Change Committee last week for a systematic review of all current and future road-building projects to allow only schemes that ‘meaningfully support cost-effective delivery of Net Zero and climate adaptation.’

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County councillor Pete Sudbury, cabinet member for environment and climate, said: “This scheme has always been a difficult leftover from Oxfordshire’s previous Conservative administration’s deals to deliver growth. “

“The world has changed since then, and climate change impacts are happening now, so when the UKs own Climate Change Committee asks for a pause and review of all road schemes, it has to be the final clarion call for us to make sure this legacy scheme fits our radical Local Transport and Connectivity Plan priorities. “

Cllr Sarah James, who represents the Hendreds ward on Vale of White Horse District Council, added: "We need faster public transport, joined-up ticketing, better rail connections and an expanded network to keep cyclists and walkers safe and give them confidence to switch from cars.”

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Cllr Sam Casey-Rerhaye, South Oxfordshire District Councillor for Sandford and the Wittenhams, said: “It won’t solve the problem of too much traffic and is quite simply unacceptable in the twenty-first century.”

The county council said the project would provide more sustainable travel options, reduce congestion in villages, and improve air quality and noise levels.

Cllr Duncan Enright, cabinet member for travel and development strategy, added: “It will enable more reliable journey times, improve pedestrian and cycling connectivity, and support allocated housing and employment sites. It is an investment, mainly from central government, in the local economy.

“The project includes 19.2 km of high-quality walking and cycling infrastructure, opportunities for more direct, faster bus routes and will connect employment sites with Didcot and surrounding villages.”