Will Oxfordshire County Council Oppose the Expressway and Growth Corridor?
28th March 2019
Two motions relating to the proposed Ox-Cam Expressway and Growth Corridor have been submitted to the full County Council meeting to be held on 2nd April.
One motion opposes the Oxford to Cambridge Expressway the other challenges the Expressway and Growth Corridor.
The first motion has been submitted by Cllr John Sanders (Labour, Cowley):
“This Council opposes the Oxford to Cambridge Expressway project on the grounds that it will not benefit the people of Oxfordshire causing damage to the countryside and unnecessary cost without reducing the impact of traffic in the area and therefore the Council asks the Leader of the Council to Lobby Government to cancel this unnecessary project.”
The second has been submitted by Cllr Tim Bearder (Lib Dem, Wheatley):
“Most people accept that building more roads creates more traffic. What is certain is that building an Expressway to connect a million new homes, in what will become the country’s first linear conurbation, will definitely bring more traffic. What it will not do is relieve the congestion on the A34. It is obvious that any temporary, short-term relief that might occur on the A34 is being used as a “stalking horse” to railroad through a much bigger project designed to create the UK’s own Silicon Valley in an arc outside the M25 and between our two prominent University cities. This radical experiment, together with all the building that will be needed to pay for it will impact on the local environment, existing infrastructure and the climate, and is deeply concerning for Oxfordshire residents.
Council instructs that the Leader and Cabinet Member for Environment to jointly write to the Minister for Housing, Communities and Local Government – demanding that a full consultation is carried out asking local residents if they want an Expressway and associated construction before any route is considered.
The Leader and Cabinet Member should also ask the Minister whether the million extra houses outlined in the National Infrastructure Commission’s vision for housing along the route of the arc are, in addition to, or included in, the 100,000 houses planned for by the Oxfordshire authorities outlined in the growth deal.”
CPRE hopes Local Councillors will support the motions, contact your Councillor to express your views and ask them to stand up for Oxfordshire.
Please note motions can be amended up until 9am Monday 1st April. Visit the OCC website to read the agenda.