Secretary of State turns down Cogges Link Road
19th June 2012
19 June 2012
SUCCESS! Secretary of State turns down Cogges Link Road after 25 years of campaigning against it
Over 25 years of campaigning by West Oxfordshire CPRE against the Cogges Link Road have finally been crowned with success.
Following a protracted Public Enquiry, it was announced on 15 June that the Secretary of State for Transport, Justine Greening, had accepted the report from the Inspector, Stephen Roscoe, and ruled against Oxfordshire County Council’s application for compulsory purchase.
She agreed with the inspector that an alternative scheme to relieve some of Witney’s traffic problems would be both less environmentally damaging and less expensive and that the Council should pursue this alternative – providing a new four way junction on to the A40 at Shore’s Green, east of Witney, which will take through traffic out of the town centre.
Gill Salway, CPRE West Oxfordshire District Chairman, said:
“This has been a long and often heated campaign with a lot of local feeling against the proposal. Oxfordshire County Council and West Oxfordshire District Council seemed determined to drive it through in the face of public opinion and the recommendations made by previous inspectors at Local Plan stage.
“The demise of the Cogges Link Road scheme will mean that the Windrush watermeadows and the country park will remain unspoiled for the enjoyment of the people of Witney.”
CPRE Oxfordshire would like to thank everyone who has been involved in this campaign over the many years in which it has run. It has involved an enormous amount of volunteer effort and has helped to protect a beautiful part of our county for future generations.
We trust that the District and County Councils will now engage positively with the local community to take forward the alternative proposals.