Government releases £6.2m for Didcot Northern Perimeter Road

The government has awarded £6.2m to South Oxfordshire District Council to accelerate the delivery of Didcot’s Northern Perimeter Road. The roads forms part of the infrastructure for Didcot Garden Town, a locally-led development which aims to provide over 15,000 homes by 2031.

Didcot Garden Town will offer mix of affordable and private rented homes supported by new roads, cycle paths, a leisure centre, new schools, shops and more green spaces.

The government said funding the Northern Perimeter Road will help relieve pressure on local transport networks and accommodate expanding communities in the local area.

The remainder of the funding required for Didcot’s Northern Perimeter Road will come from contributions secured from developers responsible for nearby housing developments, and additional business rates income from Didcot’s second enterprise zone.

Transport secretary Chris Grayling said: “We are investing record amounts in improving our roads which will lead to faster journeys, less congestion, more job opportunities and better community links. The Didcot northern perimeter scheme will benefit motorists and support the vital development of thousands of new homes, boosting the local economy.”

Housing and planning minister Alok Sharma said: “We need to deliver the right infrastructure in the right places to speed up house building and deliver the homes this country needs. This £6.2m funding is excellent news for the Oxfordshire area, promising to boost local growth and turbo-charge the delivery of thousands of new homes.

South Oxfordshire’s leader, Cllr John Cotton, said: “Once completed, the road will relieve pressure elsewhere in the town and provide a real boost to other Garden Town proposals.”

Oxfordshire County Council’s leader, Cllr Ian Hudspeth, added: “The Northern Perimeter Road will provide a critical link in and around Didcot and will provide the much needed infrastructure to support the new homes planned for Didcot.

South Oxfordshire and the Vale of the White Horse district councils have recently finished consulting on their delivery plan. The responses received will now be collated and taken into account as the delivery plan takes shape on the ground. The final plan will be launched in the autumn.

The government’s Housing White Paper sets out how planned new communities have a role to play in meeting the country’s long-term housing needs. Across England, government is supporting the locally-led development of 10 garden towns and cities, as well as 14 garden villages.

Every garden town the government is supporting has to provide at least 10,000 new homes, either in high quality new communities or as transformational development of an existing settlement. The Department for Communities and Local Government said the 10 garden towns and cities, as well as 14 garden villages, in the programme have the potential to deliver over 200,000 homes.