Watlington relief road budget approved

PROPOSALS to add £3m to the original budget for a relief road in Watlington have been approved.

Oxfordshire County Council proposed to add £3m to the original £19.3m budget for the project, which was approved at a full council meeting on Tuesday. Last week, Green Party councillors proposed the relief road budget should be axed entirely, which was met with frustration from Watlington residents.

But the group withdrew their objection just days later.

Green county councillor and leader Ian Middleton said: “We still have concerns and reservations about the project but for now we have withdrawn our objection and are keen to consult further, and to ensure our other revenue amendments to the budget will receive due consideration as being of greater benefit to residents across the whole county, especially in terms of active travel.”

At the meeting, Cllr Middleton said: “We appreciate our proposals were controversial, and we don’t want that to overshadow the real and vital proposals contained in our revenue amendments.”

Cllr Middleton added the Green group is “simply keen” to ensure concerns residents have are given support to be tackled “effectively”.

Last week, Cllr Middleton said arguments for building the road “just don’t stack up” in the face of the “ever worsening climate change crisis”. He said: “This is another controversial project set to consume huge quantities of public money to facilitate yet more traffic and was originally rejected by our planning committee before what many regard as an inappropriate and inadequately resisted intervention by the Secretary of State. While we understand the plight of the people in Watlington and are keen to help them, we feel there are alternative solutions to local congestion that have yet to be explored.

“Indeed, it’s yet to be established if other less costly and possibly just as effective proposals have been assessed such as congestion charging, low emissions zones, traffic filters or ANPR enforcement of weight limits.”

Henley MP Freddie van Mierlo had slammed the proposal from the Green group, calling it a “terrible betrayal” of Watlington.

Prior to the meeting he said: “I am appalled the Green group are going back on their word to Watlington and seeking to scrap the relief road. It was only last year when Green candidates in Watlington were promising to support the relief road. The people of Watlington have been waiting far too long already, and there should be no further delay. When I speak to residents, the only thing they ask me is when the project is going to be delivered.”

He had written to Cllr Middleton, calling on the Greens to drop their amendment saying: “To go back to square one at this stage makes no sense.

Following the meeting, Mr van Mierlo said: “I’m pleased the Greens have listened to the outcry from residents and calls from the Liberal Democrats to withdraw their wrecking amendment. We just need to see the project delivered now.” County and district councillor, Ben Higgins, said: “By securing the extra funds for the Watlington relief road, we underlined this administration’s commitment to ensure this vital scheme goes ahead. I was grateful to Green colleagues for withdrawing their proposal to defund the road.

“However, I remain quite concerned they’ve expressed they still have reservations around the scheme, especially given their support for the scheme as part of the previous administration.”

At Tuesday’s meeting, Watlington parish councillor Steve Bolingbroke said the relief road was the “only solution” to traffic issues in the town.

He said: “The need for the road is clear to everyone in South Oxfordshire, and it has had cross-party support since the beginning.

“I’m not sure the Greens understood the strength of feeling in Watlington about this road, but over the weekend, they found out.

“I congratulate them on their good sense in withdrawing the amendment and welcome their promise to visit Watlington. I will be delighted to show them why a relief road is the only solution to the town’s traffic problem. I will also show them the work the parish council is doing to promote active travel, deal with flooding and decarbonise the town.”

But a spokeswoman from Oxfordshire Roads Action Alliance (ORAA) called parts of the relief road process “flawed”. She said: “We believe there are effective and low-cost alternatives the climate impact review confirms would be better for the climate, and the expense required is unsustainable for the council.”

She said: “The proposed new road would create separations through new residential neighbourhoods with high levels of fast traffic, discouraging active travel and traffic, including HGVs, will still be in Watlington.”

She added the proposed expenditure would not benefit the area as much as investing in local infrastructure to replace short car trips with walking and cycling, which would be better value.

Richard Drew, from Shirburn parish meeting, told the council meeting: “We will be severely impacted by the proposed Watlington relief road, and we have significant concerns that as councillors, you are being asked to approve a budget where you do not have very clear information about both costs and the sources of funding proposed to be used for delivery.

“To date, the county council has spent in excess of £4million on a highway scheme that does not have planning consent and for which no detailed design has yet been undertaken. Yet it is stated to be a scheme that is fully-funded.”

He added: “As councillors, you do not have sufficient information to approve this scheme and that it should be removed from the 2026/27 budget.”