The reopening of the line will connect communities in Littlemore, Cowley, Blackbird Leys and Greater Leys to central Oxford, in under 10 minutes, and then directly on to London Marylebone. It will also connect four of Oxford’s growth areas along one route from ARC Oxford (formally the Oxford Business Park), The Oxford Science Park and the Ellison Institute of Technology, Oxford West End (next to Oxford Station), and Oxford North (near Oxford Parkway).

The project to reopen the Cowley Branch Line to passengers has been a longstanding priority for Oxfordshire County Council and Oxford City Council, and today’s announcement is the result of many years of work and commitment from local partners.

Councillor Liz Leffman, Leader of Oxfordshire County Council, said: “This is wonderful news and well deserved after all the hard work that so many organisations have put into making this happen. The Cowley Branch Line will form a critical part of our Oxfordshire Metro concept of fully integrated public transport and active travel links, connecting communities and businesses.

“This week the county council agreed an initial £10m investment in our emerging new OxRail 2040: Plan for Rail and we look forward to presenting ambitious and deliverable plans for additional services and stations right across the county to support sustainable economic growth.”

The announcement was followed by a special event in Oxford when the Chief Secretary to the Treasury, The Rt Hon James Murray MP and Lord Hendy, Minister of State for Rail joined by local leaders from across the public, private and academic sectors to travel along the Cowley Branch Line from Oxford Parkway, followed by a visit to the Ellison Institute of Technology.

Ellison Institute of Technology has also unveiled it plans to invest £10bn over the next 10 years on talent and science programmes, in addition to the two million sq ft campus in Littlemore. The Cowley Branch Line project has been a key factor in unlocking this nationally significant Foreign Direct Investment.

The councils, along with ARC Oxford, The Oxford Science Park, and the Ellison Institute of Technology, have worked together to fund a £4.7m business and investment case, which was submitted to the Department for Transport earlier this year by Network Rail.

Anneliese Dodds, MP for Oxford East, has also championed the project with an annual walk along the route of the line to raise awareness.

Reopening the Cowley Branch Line to passengers will help connect communities in Oxford, providing quicker and more sustainable connections. The line is designed to be an accessible and affordable option for local travel. The city and county councils will work to ensure fares to and from central Oxford are in line with other similar-length journeys – for example, from Oxford Parkway to Oxford.

So far, £4.7m has been invested in feasibility work and local partners will be asked to contribute £35m to the total construction cost. Both the city and county councils have already committed funds to this and will work with other landowners to secure further contributions.

Oxfordshire County Council contributed £206,000 towards the full business case for the Cowley Branch Line. They are committed to contributing a further £2.5m towards the funding of the stations and infrastructure and expect to commit substantial further funding alongside partners as they work to complete the £35m local contribution required.

Work will also be carried out to identify the additional infrastructure needed to connect the stations to their local communities. This could include new bridges, pedestrian and cycle routes, and better connectivity with the bus network.

Reopening the Cowley Branch Line will bring wide-ranging benefits to Oxford and the surrounding area by unlocking thousands of new homes and could create over 10,000 new jobs. It will help to reduce congestion, cut carbon emissions, and provide the rail capacity needed to support East West Rail and government growth priorities.

It is forecast to attract almost one million return journeys each year.

Comments from partners

Councillor Susan Brown, Leader of Oxford City Council, said: “Today marks a major milestone in our campaign to reopen the Cowley Branch Line to passengers, something that has been a priority for us for over a decade. In 2023, the city council decided to take the lead in making it a reality by investing £3.8m of our money, alongside securing additional funds from partners, and directly commissioning Network Rail to develop the Full Business Case for the reopening of the line. I am glad that the leadership and conviction the city council showed in taking this risk has now paid off.

“The Cowley Branch Line is the single most important piece of infrastructure for connecting local communities and businesses in south and east Oxford. It will give access to more amenities and jobs, help to cut congestion, meet our climate targets, and unlock new homes and jobs.

“We are proud to have worked with our partners to get the project to this stage, and we’re pleased the government recognises how important it is for the people of Oxford and beyond. We now need to work with landowners and developers in the area to help pay for the line and the works needed to connect the stations into the communities they serve.”

Anneliese Dodds, MP for East Oxford, said: “I’m delighted that after years of campaigning for the reopening of the Cowley branch line, alongside local residents, this is finally going to become a reality! I’m grateful to everyone who has pushed for the line to be reopened for so many years.

“The reopened branch line will make a massive difference to local residents, slashing travel times and reducing congestion. It will also open up many economic opportunities for local residents. I’m so pleased that the government has listened to Oxford today!”

Neale Coleman CBE, Chair of the Oxford Growth Commission, said: “I am delighted by today’s announcement that the Cowley Branch Line will be reopened as a passenger line. This announcement has been the culmination of years of hard work from many organisations across Oxford and will support the fantastic opportunities for growth throughout the city and county.

“The reopened branch line will have a transformative impact on the south and east of Oxford, helping to unlock new houses and jobs for local residents. Enhanced connectivity will support local communities by cutting commuting times for residents, boosting growth for businesses and supporting Oxfordshire’s wider economy.”

Jim Stretton, Managing Director of ARC, said: “A new station at ARC Oxford will help our members attract world-class talent and grow their businesses, while strengthening connections between local communities, companies and research hubs. This decision will support the continued growth of our thriving campus and help ensure Oxford remains a global leader in science and technology.”

Yong Shen, Director of The Oxford Science Park, said: “The reopening of the Cowley Branch Line and the creation of a station at The Oxford Science Park will greatly improve connectivity for our tenants to the city and beyond. It’s a significant, tangible step towards more sustainable transport options and will support the continued growth and collaboration that define the Park.”

Lisa Flashner, EIT’s Chief Operating Officer, said: “We’re delighted to hear the Cowley Branch Line will be reopened to passenger traffic. It’s a great example of what can happen if government and the private sector join forces and both contribute to a common goal. It will help us attract world-class talent to EIT by linking up key innovation hubs with Central London via direct train services. It will also facilitate a closer alliance between EIT and Oxford University with faster journey times as well benefit local residents.”

Rob Brighouse, Chair of Oxford Strategic Rail Promoters’ Group, said: “This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity and represents great news for those who do, and will, live and work on the route, as well as helping to ease rail capacity constraints through Oxford.

“It also demonstrates what can be achieved when the public sector and private sector come together to enable infrastructure investment which drives economic and social benefit.” 

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The Oxfordshire County Council run library will remain open until 3:30pm, instead of the usual 12:30pm, so that the community can visit, browse and become new members.

Children will be able to sign up for the “Story Garden” Reading Agency Summer Challenge which launches on the same day across Oxfordshire and the rest of the country.

The library will also be hosting a scene from the festival theatre production “Finding the Spindleberry” at various times throughout the event.

Cllr Neil Fawcett, Deputy Leader of Oxfordshire County Council said: “This is an important event in the calendar in east Oxford and our library will be playing its part. Pay us a visit and learn more about what’s on offer as part of your enjoyment of the day.”

The music groups are aimed at children who have been playing an instrument for at least a term and up to grade 5 and who are looking to develop their skills and performance with other players of similar ages. They will offer a fun, safe supportive atmosphere where children can make new friends and improve their playing by performing with others.

The 90-minute Saturday music centre sessions are available through school term times from 18 September and are available in Bicester, Oxford, Didcot, Thame and Witney.

Councillor Neil Fawcett, Cabinet Member for Community Services and Safety, said: “Culture plays a very important part in the lives our communities and this is especially true for our children. After the restrictions we’ve had to adapt to through the pandemic, the resumption of the music group sessions is a very welcome part of our commitment to the cultural life of children in the county.

“Evidence has found that learning music is best when you play with other people - it's more fun, and you make faster progress - come along to play in a band or group with children the same age and standard and have fun playing your instrument with others.”

Music centre instructors will offer expert tuition to allow the children in the sessions to develop their musical skills by playing as a group in an orchestral style. All of our instructors are DBS checked and risk assessments and safety precautions are being taken to reduce the risks of COVID-19 transmission.

Booking lessons is easy; parents can visit the council’s webpage, select the nearest venue and reserve a place. The groups will run on an ongoing basis through school terms. Participating children will need to bring their own instruments to the sessions.

The sessions will run each Saturday from 9am until 10.30am.

The new sessions come after school choirs and bands have not been able to rehearse together for more than a year, and children learning to play an instrument had to rely on remote instruction from their teachers.

Oxfordshire County Council has already started a review of fire risks related to the construction and materials used in its buildings.

A spokesperson said: "These reviews are being conducted as a precaution, and are not the result of any concerns about specific buildings. We have not yet identified any sites that have used such cladding material but the review is on-going. We have offered support to schools to ensure that fire risk assessments and evacuation plans are properly managed.”

27 June: Firefighters at high-rise towers in Blackbird Leys reassure residents about fire safety

Three crews from Oxfordshire County Council Fire and Rescue Service were at Evenlode and Windrush Tower in Blackbird Leys this afternoon door knocking and reassuring and advising residents about fire safety. Free Safe & Well visits were offered to residents who had concerns about fire safety in their home.

This follows Oxfordshire County Council’s Director of Community Safety & Chief Fire Officer Simon Furlong speaking at a resident’s meeting in Blackbird Leys last night. Oxford City Council has confirmed that it will replace the rain-screen cladding on Evenlode and Windrush Towers with improved non-combustible material in line with the requirements of the new central government guidance.

The proposals, which will receive a total of £305,883, are among the latest to be considered as part of the transition from council-funded to community-led services at children’s centre locations.

Community services will complement the council’s new service for 0-19 year-olds, which will meet the needs and aspirations of children at risk of abuse and neglect in Oxfordshire, and ensure that families who need extra help are identified at an early stage.

Total adds up – and more to come

When added to previously considered applications, the approval of these 12 schemes means funded plans are now in place for services such as ‘stay and play’ to continue at 18 children’s centres, with business cases at a further six centres supported in principle but deferred to the final round of the Transition Fund for more work.

Added to this, open access sessions will also continue at the eight Children and Family Centres and two satellite centres at the heart of the council’s new Children’s Service.

In total, it means a combination of council-funded and community-led solutions for open access services are now confirmed or supported in principle at 34 buildings across the county – with more to come when applications for the final round of transition funding are considered.

Fantastic response

Oxfordshire County Council’s Cabinet member for Children and Family Services Melinda Tilley said: “The response of local communities has been fantastic, and we are well on the way to seeing solutions in place at the vast majority of children’s centre locations. It has never been the council’s intention to close children’s centres – quite the opposite in fact.

“I suspect many people didn’t think this was possible, but we now have the makings of a truly countywide distribution of locations where ‘drop-in’ children’s services will continue to operate. I look forward to these schemes getting up and running as soon as possible, as I’m sure do many families across Oxfordshire.”

List of applicants / children’s centres to receive second round transition funding:

• Ace Centre Charity (Ace Centre, Chipping Norton): £29.983

• Barton Community Association (Barton EI Satellite, Oxford): £14,000
• Employment Action Group (Berinsfield Children’s Centre): £35,000
• Friends of Britannia Road (Britannia Road Children’s Centre, Banbury): £10,000 (*interim award pending submission to final round)
• Chalgrove Primary School (Chalgrove and Watlington Children’s Centres) £30,000
• Faringdon Town Council (Faringdon Children’s Centre): £30,000
• Grove PCC (Grove and Wantage Children’s Centres): £10,000 (*interim award pending submission to final round)
• Kidlington with Hampton Poyle PCC (Kaleidoscope Children’s Centre, Kidlington): £35,000
• Friends of Maple Tree (Maple Tree Children’s Centre, Wheatley): £30,000
• Cutteslowe Community Association (North Oxford Children’s Centre): £30,000
• D:two (Rainbow Children’s Centre, Henley): £21,900
• Wallingford Town Council (Wallingford Children’s Centre): £30,000

List of proposals approved in first round:

• Bloxham Primary School (Butterfly Meadows, Children’s Centre): £29,384
• Carterton Town Council (Carterton Children’s Centre): £30,000
• Botley Bridges (Elms Road Children’s Centre, Oxford): £30,000
• Grandpont Nursery (Grandpont Children’s Centre, Oxford): £35,600
• St Nicholas Primary School (Marston Northway Children’s Centre): £8,000
• Sharing Life Trust (Red Kite Children’s Centre, Thame): £30,000

List of bids deferred to final round for more work but supported in principle:

• Aflah Nursery (Florence Park Children’s Centre, Oxford)
• The Nature Effect (Florence Park Children’s Centre, Oxford)
• Mortimer Hall (Marston Northway Children’s Centre)
• The Kings Church Didcot (South Didcot Children’s Centre)
• Sunshine Centre (Sunshine Centre, Banbury)
• Witney Methodist Church (Witney Children’s Centre)

List of Children and Family Centres and satellite centres providing council-funded open access services:

• Banbury
• Bicester
• Witney
• Abingdon
• Didcot
• Barton
• Rose Hill
• Blackbird Leys
• East Oxford (satellite centre at the current Early Intervention Hub)
• Banbury (satellite centre at the current East Street Children’s Centre.

Total locations set to continue open access services: 34