LANDOWNERS have spent £20,000 on a report saying there is a cheaper alternative to the controversial Cogges Link Road in Witney.

The East Witney Land Consortium is pressing for Oxfordshire County Council to ditch its plans for the Cogges Link Road in favour of a plan at Shores Green it says would be much cheaper.

The Shores Green plan would create two slipways on to the A40, which its supporters said would make it easier for traffic to flow from Cogges to Oxford and outside of Witney.

A report produced this week, which is the first step developers take to secure planning permission, has stated that it would cost £3.88m to build.

More than a year ago, Oxfordshire County Council voted to press ahead with the £9.5m scheme to build the Cogges Link, which would cut across Witney Meadows.

South Leigh farmer James Mawle, of the consortium, said: “Shores Green is better because ultimately it is cheaper and provides traffic relief at Bridge Street and doesn’t affect the flood plain of the Windrush or the country park.”

Cogges, which would ease pressure at Bridge Street, would connect Witan Way and Oxford Hill, and has been on the cards since 1987.

Opponents of the road filed an application to protect the land in February, and a public inquiry into awarding the meadows Town Green status will be held at the Methodist Hall, in High Street, Witney, today at 10am.

The consortium plans to present both West Oxfordshire District Council and County Hall with the report.

County council spokesman Owen Morton said: “The county council will look carefully at this report before responding, as it would any report submitted to it.

“However, the Shores Green alternative was fully considered previously and it was decided to pursue Cogges Link Road as the best option for mitigating traffic congestion in the local area. The proposal was granted planning permission on April 7 last year.”

Mr Mawle, who owns most of the land needed for the Cogges Link, said the land consortium would consider applying for planning permission for the Shores Green alternative, in order to prove the viability of the scheme.

He said: “The report shows that there are no environmental reasons why Shores Green cannot be considered as an alternative to the Cogges Link Road.”