Abingdon and Oxford interchange scheme gets green light

Oxfordshire County Council has announced that Homes England – the UK government’s housing arm – has awarded £17.33 million to the A34 Lodge Hill interchange scheme.

The junction, which lies just north of Abingdon on the route to Oxford, currently only has north-facing slips, but the proposed scheme will improve junction capacity at Lodge Hill, as well as making cycling and walking easier and safer in the area.

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It will further allow for shorter journey times by adding new south-facing slip roads to the A34, cycle and pedestrian safety improvements and layby upgrades on the major A road.

The council had already secured funding for the scheme from several sources, including contributions from developers, the Housing Growth Deal and funding directly from the Department of Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC).

However, following a review of the scheme in summer 2022, a funding gap was identified.

Councillor Judy Roberts, Oxfordshire County Council’s cabinet member for Infrastructure and Development Strategy, said: “The A34 Lodge Hill scheme will improve connectivity to and from the north of Abingdon to the town centre and make it easier for people to choose walking, cycling or taking public transport as part of their daily routine.

“Securing this additional funding is fantastic news. It will help accelerate the detailed design process and enable construction to begin. This is vital and much needed investment to support growth in Abingdon.

"We have all campaigned for this for so long and it is wonderful news that the needs of our residents and the people who will use this route have been recognised.”

Pauline Schaffer, director of infrastructure funding at Homes England said: “We are committed to working with ambitious local authority partners seeking to meet their local housing needs through delivery of key infrastructure.

“Our multimillion-pound funding will provide strategic transport infrastructure for housing growth in the area, unlocking 820 high quality homes and supporting existing and future local plan housing allocations.”

Construction is anticipated to start in summer 2024, and last approximately two years.

Layla Moran MP said: “I am incredibly excited that this vital piece of local infrastructure has finally been given the go-ahead.

“The plans have been shovel-ready for months, with money from the County Council and developers ready and waiting. It was high time the government made good on their promises.

“Local Lib Dem councillors have been tirelessly campaigning for years, determined to see local residents get the infrastructure they deserve.

“Abingdon’s county councillors, Alison Rooke, Nathan Ley and Neil Fawcett have worked really hard to keep the County Council moving on the project.

“I look forward to being there to cheer when the first shovel hits the ground.”

Abingdon East County Councillor Alison Rooke said residents of Abingdon will be delighted to hear the news.

County Councillor for Abingdon North Nathan Ley said a resolution to the Lodge Hill issue is something people want to see more than anything.

He said: “People in Abingdon have been promised this basic piece of infrastructure for many years if not decades.

“Since standing for election two years ago I’ve tried to deliver for residents every day and it’s clear that the Lodge Hill issue is the thing people most want to see resolved.

“As local councillors and with help from our MP Layla Moran, we have worked extremely hard as a group to get to this point. And it looks like we’ve now got everything in place to see this over the line once and for all.”

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This story was written by Matthew Norman, he joined the team in 2022 as a Facebook community reporter.

Matthew covers Bicester and focuses on finding stories from diverse communities.

Get in touch with him by emailing: Matthew.norman@newsquest.co.uk

Follow him on Twitter: @OxMailMattN1