Applications have now opened for the Community Capacity Fund, administered by Oxfordshire Community Foundation, with £503,392.50 available in grants of between £5,000 and £20,000. 

The funding is designed to support Oxfordshire County Council’s Oxfordshire Way approach, helping residents to live well in their own communities for as long as possible by backing local activities that reduce isolation, improve wellbeing, increase physical activity and strengthen community support.

Over the past year, Oxfordshire Community Foundation funding, which helps build thriving communities, has supported 38 projects across the county. Hundreds of people have taken part in theatre and concerts, learned practical life skills such as cooking, accessed counselling, enjoyed gardening through improved accessibility, found warm spaces and meals, and joined physical activities including pickleball.

A second funding stream, worth £271,057.50, will also be available through Oxfordshire Community and Voluntary Action, OCVA, working with Community First Oxfordshire, CFO. These smaller awards of up to £5,000 will open on Tuesday 6 October and remain available until the funding has been allocated.

Last year, 86 groups benefited from the smaller awards, helping local organisations provide practical, accessible and inclusive activities close to where people live.

Councillor Rebekah Fletcher, Oxfordshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Adults, said:

 “Community groups are often the first to spot what people need and the first to offer practical, compassionate support.

“This funding gives organisations rooted in their communities the chance to grow their ideas, reach more residents and make everyday life better for people who may otherwise feel isolated or struggle to access support.

“Whether it is a meal, a warm welcome, a drama session, a gardening group or a chance to try something new, these activities can be a lifeline. They help people build confidence, make friends and get the right support at the right time.

“If you volunteer with or support a community group that helps people live well, stay independent and feel connected, I encourage you to apply.

“This funding is a great opportunity to bring good ideas to life and make a difference.”

The difference this funding can make can be seen at Chipping Norton Theatre, which has continued to provide drama sessions for neurodivergent adults and adults with a learning disability. The programme transformed the life of one participant who previously would not speak and now performs on stage. Another participant said: “I really enjoy coming to drama because it gives me the chance to meet my friends and it has helped me have more confidence in myself when performing.”

Witney Community Meal is another example of local action making a real difference. It provides meals every Thursday from High Street Methodist Church, helping to tackle food poverty and social isolation while also creating volunteering opportunities, including for neurodiverse people.

Apply now: Groups seeking between £5,000 and £20,000 should check the eligibility criteria and submit an expression of interest online at OCF by Monday 5 October.

Community groups looking to apply for up to £5,000, alongside additional support from OCVA and CFO, can find out more online. Organisations are encouraged to read the guidance carefully, check which funding stream best fits their project, and apply as soon as possible.

Notes for Editors

Oxfordshire Community and Voluntary Action, OCVA, assists people to help others by supporting and empowering volunteers, networks, partnerships and non-profit organisations.

Community First Oxfordshire, CFO, is a community development charity which helps groups and individuals to identify issues that affect them and find their own solutions. It supports and advises volunteer-led actions in Oxfordshire, helping hundreds of volunteers fulfil many roles in their communities.

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Dementia Active in Banbury is a registered charity specialising in running activities which support people with dementia.

After applying to Oxfordshire County Council’s connected communities fund, the organisation received £4939, helping them to keep running their regular sessions for older people with dementia while their new building in Banbury was taking shape.

Andy Gill, CEO of Dementia Active, said: “We create a sense of community where people can feel comfortable in themselves and don’t need to worry about what other people think of them. They’re in a safe, comfortable environment. The aim is to stimulate cognitive responses in a range of enjoyable activities as this can help slow down the progress of the disease.

“The additional funding and support we received through the connected communities fund allowed us to keep running our much needed services at a crucial and pivotal point in our ongoing development.

“Our new building is now up and running and in September we are opening a drop in Music for Wellbeing service for people diagnosed with dementia and their carers as well as new groups for people with advanced dementia and young onset dementia.

“The encouragement and advice offered by Oxfordshire Community and Voluntary Action and Community First Oxfordshire has been invaluable throughout.”

Dementia Active is one of more than 70 groups and organisations that have been supported by the connected communities fund since it launched last autumn, each receiving a share of £175,000 resulting in more than 90 activities being delivered in the last year.

Managed by Oxfordshire Community and Voluntary Action (OCVA) and Community First Oxfordshire (CFO), the grants ‘plus’ programme offered financial support up to the value of £5,000 per applicant, alongside advice and support to help the money go as far as possible.

It’s part of the council’s adult social care Oxfordshire Way vision to support people to live well and independently within their own communities, remaining fit and healthy for as long as possible.

Councillor Tim Bearder, Oxfordshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care, said: “We know that people want to live well in their own neighbourhoods and our connected communities fund helps to achieve just that. By strengthening local organisations with both financial and more practical support, we’re creating huge benefits for residents in Oxfordshire right on their doorstep.”

The real added value of the connected communities fund is the flexibility of the scheme and the opportunity to talk through proposals with OCVA and CFO, who can provide additional advice, expertise and connections helping them to further strengthen their programme.

Laura Price, CEO of Oxfordshire Community and Voluntary Action, said: “This innovative approach to funding community activity has stimulated more meaningful relationships with organisations. Offering bespoke support around each group’s needs has had a really positive impact, whether that be how to recruit more volunteers or how to plan for the future.”

Emily Lewis-Edwards, co-CEO of Community First Oxfordshire, said: “We thank Oxfordshire County Council for taking the initiative to reach out to the voluntary, community and social enterprise sector, treating them as an equal partner and calling on their experience and knowledge to place small and accessible funds with community groups and organisations that make a real difference for people in their communities and neighbourhoods. The connected communities fund was a great example of collaboration work at its best.”

Find out more about Dementia Active by watching their video or at dementiactive.co.uk

More information about the support offered by OCVA can be found at ocva.org.uk. Further information about CFO is available at communityfirstoxon.org

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The £25,000 grant supports the development of community research in Oxfordshire and provides the opportunity to bid for further funding later in the new year.

The funding will help Oxfordshire County Council’s public health team to further develop their award-winning approach to research into what makes people healthy, helping to improve health and tackle inequalities across the county.

Working alongside Aspire Oxfordshire, Banbury Muslim Mosque Society, Oxfordshire Community and Voluntary Action and Oxfordshire Mind, the funding will help build a network to support the development community-led research strategy for Oxfordshire, with a focus on the wider determinants of health and inequality.

Dr Adam Briggs, Deputy Director of Public Health at Oxfordshire County Council, said: “We are really excited to be part of this network bringing together community groups and volunteer organisations as well as local health care organisations and universities.

 “Over the next six months, the network will run a series of community events and workshops to learn about what research means to local residents and to better understand what community research is already taking place. This will put us in a great position to develop a community-led research strategy to better understand what drives poor health and inequalities in Oxfordshire and what we can do about it.”

Laura Price, Chief Executive Officer at Oxfordshire Community & Voluntary Action, said: “We’re delighted to be involved in such an important project bringing communities and their own voice and experience into research through the creation of a countywide network with so many great partners.”

Paul Roberts, Chief Executive Officer at Aspire Oxfordshire, said: “Community-led research is vital if we are to tackle the wider determinants of health and inequality effectively in Oxfordshire.

“We’re pleased to support this new development effort because we can see how it is moving absolutely in the right direction: it will help provide opportunities for engagement; it will foster a partnership approach to build trust and enable co-production of services; and it will encourage a wider range of people to be actively involved in service design and delivery.”  

Jess Willsher, Chief Executive Officer at Oxfordshire Mind, said: “For too long, decisions have been made for people rather than with them, contributing to the perpetuation of health inequalities. We’re delighted to be part of meaningful work that redresses the power imbalance, and to listen to and learn from people experiencing health inequalities. Working together, we can create positive and meaningful change, leading to healthier futures for all.

Yasmin Kaduji, Project Lead at Banbury Mosque, said: “We are keen to work with with the wider BAME community at Banbury Mosque and make them part of the research process to better understand inequalities. It’s such a pleasure to work with partners collaboratively, and together we will bring changes for the better that will lead to a better future for everyone.

Organisations and individuals who want to get involved can find out more by contacting the public health team at public.health@oxfordshire.gov.uk.

Find out more about the programme, and the work of UKRI by visiting the UKRI website.

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Community capacity grants have been made available by Oxfordshire County Council and will be administered by Oxfordshire Community and Voluntary Action (OCVA), Community First Oxfordshire (CFO) and Oxfordshire Community Foundation (OCF).

Councillor Tim Bearder, Oxfordshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care, said: “We want to support people to live well, within their own communities, for as long as possible. It’s something we call The Oxfordshire Way. Community capacity grants will enable grass roots organisations to deliver this support at local level, strengthening and developing their vital work and helping to identify areas which may need additional funding”.

Organisations from across Oxfordshire can apply for a smaller grant of up to £5,000 from connected community funding through the OCVA.  Larger, more formal grants of up to £20,000 are available through the OCF. Links for both applications can be found at www.oxfordshire.gov.uk/communitycapacitygrants

Once an application has been received, a panel made up from the OCVA, CFO and OCF will assess eligibility and ensure the most appropriate organisations are selected to develop their capability and capacity. This will enable funding to be deployed quickly and bring the best value to each local community.

While a range of different initiatives will be considered, from arts and music groups to dementia friendly cafes, priority will be given to areas where there is a clear gap in provision.

Cllr Bearder continued: "Even though national government is forcing us to making alarming cuts to our budgets through decades of underfunding, it would make no sense to reduce the support to these vital frontline providers. With relatively small seed fund interventions at an early stage, we can prevent vulnerable adults becoming dependent on costly care in the future. This isn't only economically pragmatic, it is also the best thing to do for our residents."

Community capacity grants recognise the value and benefit that grass roots organisations bring to Oxfordshire and the need to invest in the wealth of local expertise, knowledge and connections they bring. They have been designed in collaboration with health, voluntary sector and city and district partners.

For anyone looking to access support within their local community, details can be found on our Live Well Oxfordshire directory livewell.oxfordshire.gov.uk

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The county council has just submitted a bold funding bid for a third round of the government's Active Travel Grant to help the county’s transport infrastructure recover from the pandemic and offer real quality of life benefits for active, healthy communities.

Councillor Tim Bearder, Cabinet Member for Highways Management at Oxfordshire County Council, said: “Our council has deliberately put forward an incredibly bold bid for active travel schemes for the county that aim to transform lives and our local environment.”

“The scale of the bid means these schemes should benefit the county for the long term; they will allow further upgrades to our county cycle infrastructure and allow us to produce desperately needed holistic plans that will make safe cycling and walking an option for many more residents." 

"We know that government recognises the need to shift our dependence away from single occupancy motor vehicles and I sincerely hope that they are willing to match our ambition so that we can help them realise that change on the ground here in Oxfordshire.”

The main goals are:

• To provide services that enhance the quality of life and take action to reduce the impact of climate change and protect the local environment.

• To tackle inequality, help people live safe and healthy lives and enable everyone to play an active part in their community.

• To deliver schemes already set out in the area-based Local Cycle and Walking Infrastructure Plans.

Three main parts to the bid will be based on developing cycling and walking schemes and an officer-led study for a longer-term Dutch-style cycle-friendly zones for the county. Shortlisted local authorities who submit an expression of interest for the Dutch-style cycle-friendly zones study will receive up £100,000 in additional funding.

The council will be expected to develop plans for cycling and walking schemes a year, four years and ten years ahead. It will also include a plan for a GP prescribing pilot for individual exercise using the new, active travel areas as part of a health plan for residents.

To underline the council’s ambitions and reflect the full scale of investment needed to make a difference to communities, this bid has been put forward for significantly more than the previous allocations in the first two rounds.

This also underlines the scale of the ambition of the county. The bid includes an emerging pipeline of over 169 countywide active travel infrastructure projects worth £500 million that the county council has identified as priorities over the coming years. Some of these are aimed specifically at this bid with others being funded by different means. The list underlines the county’s ambitions and commitment to an active travel transformation in how we make journeys.

This bid is ambitious around key strategic routes to Oxford. These include routes from Eynsham to two area of Botley and Kidlington to Oxford. The funding will set the foundations for future delivery along with delivering investment across parts of the county in a series of other infrastructure schemes including in Berinsfield, Witney, Bicester, Abingdon and Banbury.

The county council welcomes the opportunity to work with Oxfordshire’s active travel interest groups in further developing the future pipeline of active travel schemes and those successful schemes leading up to public engagement and consultation on schemes that could be funded by the bid submitted on 9 August. The government will require local authorities to spend the funding by March 2023.

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The Oxfordshire launch of phase two of the GovTech Catalyst initiative on work to transform the existing Oxfordshire traffic management system will allow two new and complementary technology solutions to be developed and completed by June 2022.

Tim Spiers, Director of IT, Digital and Transformation at Oxfordshire County Council, said: “The challenge is to be ready for the new wave of transport. That means different and cleaner power sources and brand-new technology such as computer assisted transport.

“Oxfordshire is also the first council to include connected and autonomous vehicles in its local transport plan. These vehicles can be anything including cars, bicycles, e-scooters, vans and buses.

“As challenge owners, we look forward to working with both suppliers over the next few months to develop proof of concept products that will help the county council as the highway authority to meet our obligations under the Traffic Management Act and be ready to support all forms of new mobility from active travel to autonomous vehicles.”

The GovTech Catalyst funding has allowed the council to support Alchera Technologies and City Science with £500,000 each to develop a system fit for the introduction of connected and autonomous vehicles as well as other new transport options, such as electric vehicles.

The two partners were chosen after bids submitted by five suppliers. Alchera impressed the council with its approach to integrating multiple data sources and City Science with its approach to system integration and user interfaces. The work by the partners will be focused on developing proofs of concept that bring together a variety of transport data sources held by the county council.

Anna Jordan, Head of Operations for Alchera Technologies, said: “We’re excited to work with Oxfordshire County Council to enable more data-driven mobility infrastructure and provide the tools to deliver its game-changing smart transport programme. Data will play a key role in the future of transport and how we move around, especially as lockdown restrictions begin to ease and activity across cities, towns and transport networks surge back to pre-COVID rates. “To manage this change, making dynamic decisions while adapting to new travel patterns and co-ordinating growing networks of new and existing mobility options will be key. Public and private transport authorities can now rely on Alchera’s tools to interpret and react to data from multiple sources, for accurate, real-time decision making. Ultimately, this will enable transport networks to become more seamless, sustainable and resilient than ever before.” 

Laurence Oakes Ash, Chief Executive of City Science, said: “City Science is delighted to be continuing our work with Oxfordshire County Council in helping it transform traffic management. There are several challenges preventing desired progress in the network management market, in particular, limiting seamless linkage between legacy systems and advanced opportunities emerging from new mobility.

“Our solution allows secure access to the information of existing legacy systems. This means that we can create a configurable customer interface providing a seamless coordination and integration of multi-modal control of existing and new mobility. Developing effective, scalable, and net-zero solutions to transport planning and infrastructure is the reason City Science exists.”

The systems developed will lead to a prototype system that will be capable off offering transport data to technology development companies and the public.

As well as work to enable connected and autonomous vehicles on our roads, other developments that could emerge from the research are live data apps on transport flows and patterns. The research involved and the final product will also enable better collaboration within the council on data sharing work on transport.

Thanks to consultation responses from residents and organisations in January and February, final scheme designs have been agreed by the county council and are now set to be implemented.

Councillor Yvonne Constance, Cabinet Member for Environment, said: “I’d like to thank all those that contributed their views in the consultations on the schemes for Bicester and Witney. The consultations have helped us to design schemes that are right for the towns and that make a lasting difference in the council’s goals of increasing journeys made by cycling and walking.”

“Active travel and climate action are at the heart of our plans. We have put forward schemes that will have the greatest impact in terms of air quality, physical activity and environmental benefit. Both schemes are projects which go to the heart of supporting healthy and vibrant communities.”

Nigel Tipple, Chief Executive of the Oxfordshire Local Enterprise Partnership, said: “We are delighted to learn that work is set to begin on this scheme, benefitting both businesses and residents alike, as well as supporting a shift towards cleaner travel. As the Local Enterprise Partnership for Oxfordshire, we continue to play a vitally important role moving forward, securing investment that enables and unlocks new opportunities for our many businesses and communities right across the county.”

The work has been delivered at pace thanks to funding of £1.4 million secured by the Oxfordshire Local Enterprise Partnership (OxLEP) from the Government’s Local Growth Fund.

In Witney, an enhanced cycling and walking connection between Tower Hill and Madley Park will be created, incorporating the town centre, shops, schools and businesses. Following consultation feedback, Holloway Road will remain open and the proposed bus lane on Corn Street has been deferred to be considered within the Witney transport strategy review.

The work in Bicester incorporates the eastern end of Middleton Stoney Road. This scheme will boost cycling and walking from the expanding south and west of Bicester and provide connectivity into the town centre through Oxford Road/Kings End and Causeway, as well as an off-road route through Piggy Lane. A decision on Causeway has been deferred until the detailed designs have been prepared and discussed with stakeholders.

Shared paths will be widened in both towns to three metres wherever possible to create a safer environment to cycle and walk.

Work on both schemes is set to be completed in May, offering residents a great chance to enjoy more active travel journeys from the summer.

From Monday, non-essential shops will be able to open for the first time since late March, with retailers required to adhere to new guidelines to protect shoppers and workers. To support the reopening of town centres, the county council is working with district and town councils on a series of temporary and permanent changes designed to ensure the county remains a great place to live, work, socialise, visit and shop.

Some narrow streets in town centres will operate a one-way system for pedestrians including Hythe Bridge Street in Oxford and social distancing measures will be put in place to ensure the safety of shoppers and visitors, with signs and posters offering guidance about respecting the 2-metre social distancing rule. The changes will be most evident in high-pedestrian traffic areas such as at Frideswide Square and the city centre streets in Oxford. Contractors are also likely to be working in places at times so please be mindful of their important work.

The county council is currently investing the first part of £597,000 of a £2.9m government active travel grant in a range of measures to improve cycling infrastructure, footpaths and parts of the road network to help make journeys much easier by bike and on foot. This includes fitting new bike racks across the county’s market towns and in Oxford.

Residents are being asked to consider their journeys carefully and prepare their route ahead of time. Where possible people are encouraged to visit busy areas at off-peak times and to cycle and walk where they can, particularly as buses and trains will be restricted in the number of passengers they can carry.

Please be mindful that car parks will reintroduce charges on 15^th June. This means charges will resume at Oxford’s Seacourt, Thornhill, Redbridge and Oxford Parkway Park and Ride car parks. Exemptions for NHS staff and care workers still apply.

From 15th June, the entitlement to free travel for concessionary bus pass holders will return to its pre-crisis time of 9am to midnight Monday to Friday and anytime Saturday and Sunday.

Cllr Liam Walker, Oxfordshire County Council’s Cabinet member for Highways Delivery & Operations, said: 

“Oxfordshire County Council and partner councils have put a lot of effort into prioritising measures to protect the public. We are doing all we can to enable residents and visitors to access towns by active transport and keep a safe distance from others.

“We’d like to ask residents to help make this next phase of easing the lockdown a success by keeping a two-metre distance from others and consider visiting towns at off peak times where possible. The further easing of lockdown in July depends on our cooperation, so let’s make this phase a safe success.”

Oxfordshire County Council is about to launch a public consultation on the proposed range of transport improvements in Didcot and surrounding areas that will support the creation of new jobs and homes.

The consultation will open on Thursday 19 March. Work on these infrastructure improvements follows the successful funding announcement for £218 million from Government in March 2019 known as the Housing Infrastructure Fund (HIF). Although the funding for the transport improvements has been announced, Oxfordshire County Council is currently in the final stages of negotiating the details of the funding agreement with Government.

As part of this consultation, public exhibitions were planned across various locations in the local area over the last two weeks in March. Unfortunately, due to the advice from Government with respect to Coronavirus (COVID-19) these have been cancelled. However, residents and businesses can view the plans and submit feedback online until 30 April 2020.

If you know anyone who does not have access to the internet and you think would be interested in this consultation, we would appreciate your help in telling them about it. They can call us on: 07392 318945 or 07833 401067 to discuss the proposals and request printed copies of the consultation materials.

The funding will substantially improve the county’s transport infrastructure, including a new river crossing between Didcot and Culham. The improved infrastructure would enable the development of new housing and employment areas using good sustainable design, supporting improved conditions for cycling.

The four schemes are:

1. A4130 road widening from A34 Milton Interchange towards Didcot
2. A new “Science Bridge” over the A4130, Great Western Railway Line and Milton Road into the former Didcot A Power Station site, back to the A4130 near Purchas Road
3. A new Didcot to Culham River Crossing between the A4130 Northern Perimeter Road at Didcot and A415 near Culham Science Centre
4. A new Clifton Hampden Bypass between A415 near Culham Science Centre and B4015 Oxford Road north of the village.

Since the previous public exhibition events in November 2018, Oxfordshire County Council has been working to address previous comments and updating the design work. The online consultation will show the latest scheme designs and provide an opportunity for local people to comment on these.

All schemes include new and/or improved high quality walking and cycling routes which will give people real travel choice. The lack of suitable crossings over the railway line and river coupled with the success of the Science Vale area has resulted in heavy congestion. The lack of crossings have resulted in limited alternatives to the private car.

Councillor Ian Hudspeth, Leader of Oxfordshire County Council, which submitted the HIF bid, said: “This funding will support the creation of new houses including affordable homes and will improve transport links including walking and cycling routes. It is a big boost for Oxfordshire and underlines our commitment to ensuring that the infrastructure is in place to support new homes. The work will mean that the new homes will be supported by infrastructure that will connect residents with main routes whilst allowing them to avoid surrounding villages.”

How to respond:

The online public consultation will start on Thursday 19 March 2020 and close on Thursday 30 April 2020 (closing at 11:59pm). Please follow this link for more details: www.oxfordshire.gov.uk/didcotupdate

The draft Infrastructure Strategy is an independent report commissioned by Oxfordshire’s six councils who make up the Oxfordshire Growth Board. Developed in partnership, it sets out the investment in transport, schools, hospitals and other infrastructure needed to support the predicted growth in population, and meet the future needs of Oxfordshire families, their children and grandchildren in terms of jobs and homes across the county to 2040 and beyond.

Major investment projects include:

• Improvements to the A34
• Rapid bus routes linking key locations
• East-West Rail connecting Oxford to Cambridge
• A long term strategy to address congestion on the A40
• Redevelopment of Oxford Station
• A new Garden Town for Didcot
• Incentives to encourage businesses to locate and expand within the Science Vale.

Once adopted, the Oxfordshire Infrastructure Strategy will provide an agreed template for planning and directing around £9 billion of mainly central government investment to support Oxfordshire’s growth to 2040 and beyond. The Oxfordshire Growth Board will consider the final report on 26 September 2017.

That investment is linked to number of key national decisions expected over the next few months. These include the publication of the Government’s Industrial Strategy and the second report from the National Infrastructure Commission; allocations from the Housing Investment Fund and the autumn Budget.

There is still time for residents and businesses to have their say on the emerging infrastructure strategy for Oxfordshire before 10 September 2017 by visiting: www.oxfordshire.gov.uk/growthboard.

Councillor Bob Price, Chair of the Growth Board and Leader of Oxford City Council, said: “Across the county, people need places to live, with a great environment, transport and other vital infrastructure to support them. Oxfordshire sits at the centre of the UK’s knowledge economy and must play a key role in the nation’s future growth story. This is only possible by attracting significant investment to the region, and the Infrastructure Strategy shows Government and other infrastructure funding partners the investment Oxfordshire needs in a clear and co-ordinated way. It helps set Oxfordshire’s course for the future.”

Councillor Ian Hudspeth, Leader of Oxfordshire County Council and Growth Board member, said: “As the lead for transport and highways in the county; improved, new and appropriate infrastructure is key to how we see Oxfordshire growing and developing in the coming years. We want to see benefits for both new and existing residents. To achieve this we are working closely with partners including OxLEP, our Local Enterprise Partnership, and all of our local planning authorities. This joined-up approach in Oxfordshire is vital if we are to achieve our ambitions through this strategy.”

Nigel Tipple, Chief Executive of OxLEP (Oxfordshire Local Enterprise Partnership), said: “The need to ensure Oxfordshire benefits from an infrastructure that is fit for purpose and one that doesn’t hold back dynamic economic growth – whilst being sensitive to the environment – is a key priority.

“As a county, we need to maintain growth but – similarly – ensure that our future infrastructure fully-supports our desire to grow.”

The Oxfordshire Growth Board is a joint committee of the six councils, formed to provide strategic planning for all the challenges that the growth agenda for Oxfordshire brings.

The six councils represented on the Oxfordshire Growth Board are Cherwell District Council, Oxford City Council, Oxfordshire County Council, South Oxfordshire District Council, Vale of White Horse District Council and West Oxfordshire District Council.

This release is issued on behalf of the Oxfordshire Growth Board.

Government funding has been awarded to South Oxfordshire District Council to accelerate the delivery of Didcot’s Northern Perimeter Road – a vital piece of local infrastructure.

As a critical transport link around Didcot, it will be one of the new roads that will be key to the success of Didcot Garden Town, a locally-led development which aims to build over 15,000 homes by 2031.

This funding will help relieve pressure on local transport networks and accommodate the expanding communities in the local area.

The infrastructure investment promises to boost economic growth across the Science Vale and enterprise zone, increasing employment by 20,000 over the next 20 years.

County Councillor Ian Hudspeth, Leader of Oxfordshire County Council said:

“The county council is pleased to see Oxfordshire’s growth ambitions recognised by the funding announcement today (August 10). 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.

"Oxfordshire County Council looks forward to working in partnership with South Oxfordshire District Council and Lady Grove East developers to ensure the scheme adds to the successful delivery of Didcot Garden Town, ensuring that Oxfordshire continues to be a thriving place to live and work.

“We have a long history of delivering major road schemes and improvements using government money to enable the road network to meet the demands of the future and look forward to starting work on this latest investment in Oxfordshire transport.”

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.”

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.”

HCA Chief Executive, Nick Walkley said:

“This autumn, the HCA will relaunch as Homes England with the ambition of creating a better housing market. We’re determined to get more homes built now and increase the rate of future development. This development is a fantastic example of how we fund infrastructure which is the vital first step in developing a new garden town, creating a new community and providing much-needed homes and jobs.”

The Government’s Housing White Paper sets out how well-planned, well-designed new communities have a crucial 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.

Good design is at the heart of the plan

Didcot Garden Town’s delivery plan sets out a vision for the development of high quality housing and the transformation of the local area. Good design is at the heart of the plan, prioritising high quality public and green spaces. In keeping with its location at the heart of Oxfordshire’s Science Vale, cutting-edge technology will underpin and enable development.

A mix of affordable and private rented homes will be supported not only by new roads but by a host of other new facilities, including new cycle paths, a leisure centre, new schools, shops and more green spaces. Guided by residents, this development promises to rejuvenate the area whilst retaining the unique character of Didcot town.

The Department for Local Government and Communities (DCLG) has also awarded grant funding for critical infrastructure to drive the delivery of other large-scale housing projects across the country. This includes:

• £2.6m for the regeneration of Poole Power Station in Dorset;
• £1.25m to fund infrastructure in the Waterside area of Nottingham; and
• £9.6m for the development of Parkhurst Urban Village on the Isle of Wight.

Councillor John Cotton, Leader of South Oxfordshire District Council said:

"The district council made a commitment to residents in Didcot that the Garden Town project would deliver infrastructure. So I'm really pleased that we are able to fund the completion of the northern perimeter road - a project that has been sat waiting for years.

“Once completed, the road will relieve pressure elsewhere in the town and provide a real boost to other Garden Town proposals."

Further information

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 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.

Every garden town the government is supporting will provide at least 10,000 new homes, either in high quality new communities or as transformational development, both in nature and in scale, to an existing settlement. The 10 garden towns & cities and 14 garden villages (1,500 to 10,000 new homes) in the government’s programme have the potential to deliver over 200,000 homes.

Two new south-facing slip roads at the Lodge Hill Interchange will help end years of congestion and pave the way for up to 1,700 new homes in Abingdon.

The long-awaited scheme, which will receive up to £9.45 million over 4 years, will also boost growth in the wider Science Vale area, where up to 20,000 new jobs and 20,000 new homes will be created by 2031.

This is on top of the £2.3 billion Housing Infrastructure Fund, announced earlier this month, which will pay for local infrastructure across the country to support local housing delivery.

 Communities Secretary Sajid Javid said:

“Local leaders in Oxfordshire want to go for growth, and so that’s why I’ve pledged more than £9 million of Government cash for this A34 upgrade scheme.

“Most people are willing to accept new housing in their areas, but they don’t want to see massive development when local roads are already under pressure.

“This funding will bring much-needed improvements to the A34 for motorists and help to deliver thousands of new homes that Oxfordshire desperately needs.

“This is thanks to the hard work of former MP for Oxford West and Abingdon, Nicola Blackwood, who tirelessly campaigned for this interchange to receive Government funding, working closely with Oxfordshire County Council and the Oxfordshire Local Enterprise Partnership.”

Councillor Ian Hudspeth, Leader of Oxfordshire County Council said:

“The County Council is pleased to see Oxfordshire’s growth ambitions recognised by the funding announcement today. The delivery of much needed housing in and around Abingdon is heavily reliant on funding for new slips at Lodge Hill.

"Residents have been concerned that large numbers of houses will be built before the necessary highway infrastructure is in place. This announcement means that vital infrastructure will be built at the early phase of development to cope with the associated additional traffic.

"Oxfordshire County Council will continue to work with our partners at Highway’s England to deliver the scheme as quickly as possible to ensure Oxfordshire is a thriving place to live and work.”

Nigel Tipple, Chief Executive of OxLEP, said:

“This announcement represents a further positive step in ensuring Oxfordshire has an infrastructure that is fit for purpose, supporting the county’s desire to grow.

“Securing a strong infrastructure is a priority for OxLEP and we are confident that this prioritised Local Growth Fund investment will bring a variety of benefits across a number of key areas.

“We expect the Lodge Hill investment to unlock greater housing growth in the area, give better connectivity to key ‘hubs’ – such as Milton Park and the Harwell campus – as well as relieving pressure around the A34 Marcham Interchange.”

The report by AECOM, a professional and technical services firm highlights the need for long-term investment that will be required to plan for and manage growth in a way that supports the local economy and protects quality of life across the county.

For the first time Oxfordshire councils are working together to develop a joint infrastructure strategy, detailing the county’s key infrastructure requirements.

Some of these have been outlined already in individual Local Plans and the Local Transport Plan, but the Oxfordshire Growth Board has looked more comprehensively at what is going to be required further into the future across all areas.

Major investment projects include:

• Improvements to the A34
• Rapid bus routes linking key locations
• East-West Rail connecting Oxford to Cambridge
• A long term strategy to address congestion on the A40
• Redevelopment of Oxford Station
• A new Garden Town for Didcot
• Incentives to encourage businesses to locate and expand within the Science Vale.

Once complete, the Oxfordshire Growth Board will have a new infrastructure strategy that will identify, map and support the county’s strategic infrastructure requirements. It will include evidence of the infrastructure required for strategic transport, energy and the utilities, waste management, flooding and water management, green infrastructure, education, adult social care and broadband. It will be clear on what is needed to keep Oxfordshire thriving to support anticipated growth to 2040 and beyond and what it will cost to deliver it, currently estimated at £9 billion. This will help infrastructure providers to plan for the future.

Outgoing chair of the Oxfordshire Growth Board, Councillor Ian Hudspeth, Leader of Oxfordshire County Council, said: "Across the county, people need places to live, with a great environment, transport and other vital infrastructure to support them. We remain committed to attracting the necessary investment to the region so that we can have the right infrastructure in place through to 2040 so that residents, businesses and visitors continue to thrive.”

Incoming chair of the Oxfordshire Growth Board, Councillor Bob Price, Leader of Oxford City Council, said: “It is really important that we plan the infrastructure needed to support Oxfordshire and its growth. By having an integrated strategy that clearly shows the infrastructure needed to support future growth such as new housing developments and new businesses, we stand a greater chance of securing the necessary funding to deliver what is required.”

Nigel Tipple, Chief Executive, Oxfordshire Local Enterprise Partnership (OxLEP), said: “The need to ensure Oxfordshire benefits from an infrastructure that is fit for purpose and one that doesn’t hold back economic growth – whilst being sensitive to the environment – is a key priority. This draft strategy is aligned with the priorities set out in our own strategic economic plan for Oxfordshire and – as a Local Enterprise Partnership – we will continue to champion our economy with the aim of securing future funds for key projects.

“Oxfordshire has seen 45,000 new jobs created over the past five years, representing over half of a 2031 target of 85,600 new jobs. As a county, we need to maintain this growth but – similarly – ensure that our future infrastructure fully-supports our desire to grow.”

Bringing together all this evidence will allow Oxfordshire to engage in strategic discussions with Government and other infrastructure funding partners to understand how it will cohesively address the challenges that providing the scale of infrastructure required presents.

The AECOM report is published on the Oxfordshire Growth Board website at www.oxfordshire.gov.uk/growthboard and there is an opportunity to submit comments online.

Funding will be sought from various sources including the Government’s Housing Infrastructure Fund which is designed to deliver more homes and help support significant new growth initiatives, which includes funding for unlocking sites for new homes in areas of high demand.

The Oxfordshire Growth Board is a joint committee of the six councils, formed to provide strategic planning for all the challenges that the growth agenda for Oxfordshire brings.

ENDS

Notes to editors

The six councils represented on the Oxfordshire Growth Board are: Cherwell District Council, Oxford City Council, Oxfordshire County Council, South Oxfordshire District Council, Vale of White Horse District Council and West Oxfordshire District Council.

Plans for up to 2,500 homes on the old airfield at Grove have been officially granted outline planning permission after Persimmon Homes and Taylor Wimpey signed a legal agreement with Vale of White Horse District Council and Oxfordshire County Council that sets out the infrastructure the developers will provide to support the new housing.

The airfield site is over 140 hectares in size, 64 hectares of which will be built upon. The development will include new schools for children at both primary and secondary school age, a community hub, a local centre for shops and other community facilities, a community park, playing fields and an ecology park. It will also include around 800 affordable homes.

The next stage is for the developers to submit detailed planning applications and once those are approved, building can begin.

Cllr Ian Hudspeth, Leader of Oxfordshire County Council said: “This agreement brings lots of key infrastructure and funding to support the housing growth. As well as land for new schools, the agreement secures over £40m towards new primary and secondary education facilities and key road infrastructure (Wantage Eastern Link Road). We look forward to the delivery of key infrastructure to support this much needed housing growth.”

Cllr Matthew Barber, Leader of Vale of White Horse District Council, said: “We are very pleased to have got to this stage – a lot of work and effort has gone into this from all parties. The expansion of Grove in the 60s and 70s gave thousands of families the opportunity to find a home of their own, in a good neighbourhood in the Vale. The airfield development will provide that opportunity to their children and grandchildren.”

Richard Briggs, managing director for Persimmon Homes Wessex, said: “We are delighted to have been granted outline planning for this new development which will bring much-needed starter and family homes to Oxfordshire.”

Local roads are also set to benefit from Oxfordshire County Council being given a share from a national roads fund but details of the exact proportion of money to be allocated to Oxfordshire and other councils in England have yet to be confirmed as well as the type of road which would eligible for funding.

Bev Hindle, Strategic Director for Communities at Oxfordshire County Council said: “We welcome today’s announcement from the Government, confirming their support and commitment to invest in the A34 (M4-M40), East West Rail and the Oxford to Cambridge Expressway. We will continue to talk to Government and partners about the county’s transport infrastructure strategy to ensure the needs of future generations who live, work or travel through Oxfordshire can be met and planned for.

He continued:  “As the Transport Secretary said, getting transport spending right is absolutely crucial which is why the county council and members of the Oxfordshire Growth Board are working on a the development of an Oxfordshire Infrastructure Strategy which will identify, prioritise and cost Oxfordshire’s future infrastructure to 2040. We already know that existing funding will not deliver the scale of infrastructure investment required which is why we will work together to explore alternative sources of funding.

He concluded by saying:  “I am delighted the Government has highlighted England’s Economic Heartland as one of a number of partnerships in England that have been created between local authorities with the aim of becoming a Strategic Transport Authority. As a co-founder of England’s Economic Heartland, the county council is working hard with eight local authorities (Northamptonshire, Buckinghamshire, Milton Keynes, Bedford, Central Bedfordshire, Luton, Cambridgeshire and Peterborough) to improve physical connectivity between larger urban centres, with a particular emphasis on east-west connectivity, and improved access into and within larger urban centres.”