FURTHER information about plans for the controversial hospital pipeline in Headington has been requested by the City Council - delaying it by a minimum of three weeks.

Contractors of the £14.8m Hospital Energy Project, Vital Energi, must supply planning bosses with a full construction traffic management scheme before the project can be considered.

City councillor for the area Ruth Wilkinson has already initiated a call-in on the project, in order to allow residents to put their views forward on the project, which will connect the John Radcliffe and Churchill Hospitals with an underground heating system.

She said: "More information has been requested by the City’s planning department about the contractors’ construction traffic management scheme.

"A full three week consultation period will re-start once this information is supplied."

Only last month it was revealed that Vital Energi did not have permission from the relevant authorities to begin work to install the pipeline, so it put in a retrospective planning application on January 11.

Ms Wilkinson says the new plans would not be discussed by the east area planning committee until March and this may mean the start date of work to install the pipeline will be put back.

The closing date for neighbour's comments on the application was originally intended to be February 12, but following this update, a new date is yet to be announced.