MORE than £1m left in a Witney transport improvement budget may not be spent in the town, according to a council boss.

Oxfordshire County Council leader Ian Hudspeth said funds set aside for the failed Cogges Link Road project could be spent elsewhere in the county.

But campaigners in favour of the Shores Green scheme, which would include a new A40 four-way junction as an alternative to the relief road, want to see the funds used to speed up the project.

The Oxford Mail revealed last month that the county council had only £1.3m remaining from the £10.3m set aside for the Cogges Link Road project, which was rejected by the Government after a public inquiry two years ago.

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Out of that, the county council had to repay £3.6m received from developers of the Madley Park estate under planning laws.

The rest of the cash was spent on other transport projects and legal and preparatory work for the link road, with £1.3m left over.

West Oxfordshire District Council member for Witney East, Duncan Enright, said: “We need the council to safeguard the £1.3m it has left for Shores Green because it was intended for use to improve transport in Witney.

“Witney has seen massive development in the Madley Park and Cogges housing estates and has had zero traffic alleviation schemes in the area. We need to see the infrastructure improvements that these developments should have brought.”

Mr Hudspeth said: “We will use the money at the best location at the time rather than just keeping it to one side.

“If we weren’t able to get the funding from developers then Shores Green may not be delivered, whereas we could use the money better on other projects across Oxfordshire.”

 

 


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