Update on HIF1 Didcot and surrounding areas planning application and Orders
In July 2023, the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities called in the planning application for the HIF1 Didcot and surrounding areas major infrastructure project, following the county council’s planning and regulation committee’s vote to refuse the application.
A conjoined planning and Orders (compulsory purchase order, side roads order and bridge scheme) public inquiry will take place at Bee House in Milton Park, and will sit for 22 days across a 12-week period.
Oxfordshire County Council will present evidence in support of its planning application and Orders for the scheme. If approved, the project would transform travel in the Didcot area for current and future residents as well as commuters. It would provide more sustainable travel options in and around Didcot, as well as reducing congestion in the surrounding villages and improving air quality and noise levels. It would enable more reliable journey times for buses and other vehicles, improve pedestrian and cycling connectivity, and support allocated housing and employment sites.
The sitting dates of the inquiry will be:
- 20 to 23 February
- 27 February to 1 March
- 26 to 28 March
- 16 to 19 April
- 23 to 26 April
- 8 to 10 May (set as reserve days)
Sessions will start at 10am Tuesday to Friday. Finish times are approximately 5pm Tuesday to Thursday, and 3pm on Fridays. Members of the public can attend the inquiry. For anyone who is unable to attend in person but would like to follow proceedings, each session will also be live streamed.
Following the inquiry, the government appointed inspector will draft a report and present it to the Secretaries of State (for Transport and for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities), who will make the final decision.
The link for live streaming the inquiry sessions will be published on the official public inquiry portal.
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