A developer which wanted to delay construction on a crucial new bridge has backtracked after anxious villagers raised objections.

David Wilson Homes Southern agreed to build Letcombe Brook Bridge in Grove when its plans for a major housing development called Monks Farm were approved by Vale of White Horse District Council.

At the time, the council set a limit on the number of homes that could be occupied before the bridge was opened.

READ MORE: Abingdon: Office block in town to be turned into 20 flats

The Oxford Mail revealed last week that the company wanted to remove this condition and continue developing without starting work on the bridge.

But it has now withdrawn this plan before a decision was made.

It follows a joint community objection by residents of the Maples - a collection of 16 houses near the site - who are worried the bridge would be “substantially delayed or never built” if the condition was approved.

Oxford Mail: A joint community objection was made by residents of the Maples, a collection of 16 houses near the

If constructed, the bridge would allow residents of the Monks Farm site, which will contain 483 homes when completed, to access the A338 without having to drive through the centre of Grove.

It would form part of the proposed Grove Northern Link Road, a major relief road that has been on the cards since the 1970s but has yet to be approved.

Oxford Mail: The Monks Farm site will contain 483 homes when completed

David Wilson Homes Southern submitted plans for the bridge in 2022 but received strong objections from the Environment Agency and withdrew them before determination on April 19 this year.