Latest news with #FriendsOfGrandpontNaturePark
BBC News
5 days ago
- Politics
- BBC News
Controversial Oxpens River Bridge gets £3.7m budget boost
A council has voted to increase the budget to build a controversial bridge over the River Thames by £ Oxpens River Bridge in Oxford would link Grandpont Nature Park to Oxpens Meadow, providing a walking and cycling route between planned developments on either side of the water. The decision by Oxford City Council's cabinet raises the total project cost to £14m - up from £10.3m. It comes as campaign group Friends of Grandpont Nature Park awaits a decision on whether its judicial review appeal against the plans can proceed. The council said the rise in costs was due to inflation in construction prices, caused by delays resulting from the legal challenge. To secure the additional funding, authority will be delegated to several staff members to manage legal agreements and enter an amended arrangement with Oxfordshire County Council. This will allow Growth Deal funding from the government to be spent in the 2026/27 financial year. 'Wrecking woodland' Alex Hollingsworth, Labour cabinet member for planning and culture, said that the original funding "was provided by central government and it came through the Oxfordshire Growth Deal"."Oxfordshire County Council was the accountable body, the city council then, after some considerable time, became essentially the delivery mechanism," he said."It is not our money. We cannot spend it on something else."Hollingsworth said there was currently no contract in place with contractor to build the bridge. Construction work is due to begin in spring have raised concerns about the environmental impact and flood resilience of the proposed route. They argue that the path between Osney Mead and the new bridge is not fully floodproofed, and that pedestrians would need to cross a section of towpath under the rail bridge that floods regularly.A spokesperson for the group said it was "an incredible" amount of public money and that the structure would end up "wrecking the only woodland on the main path through Grandpont Nature Park in the process". You can follow BBC Oxfordshire on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram.
BBC News
6 days ago
- Politics
- BBC News
Council considers funding boost for Oxpens bridge
A council is due to make a decision about how much to spend on a controversial bridge in a cabinet meeting later, the city council will consider a report that proposes increasing the project budget for the Oxpens River scheme, which is now estimated to cost £14m, rather than £10.3m, would link Grandpont Nature Park to Oxpens Meadow, to provide a walking and cycling route between planned group Friends of Grandpont Nature Park said the bridge would be an act of "ecological vandalism and blatant misuse of public funds". The group also said the path between Osney Mead and the new bridge was not fully floodproofed, and that people would have to cross a section of the towpath under the rail bridge which is known to flood launched a judicial review after plans for the bridge were approved last year but it was dismissed by the High Court in group has submitted an appeal and is waiting to hear whether it can city council said the increase in cost was due to the inflation of construction costs, caused by the delay from the judicial local authority said in a recent report the bridge would now cost an extra £3.7m due to the legal delays and increasing construction costs.A spokesperson for the group described it as "an incredible" amount of public money and said the structure would be "wrecking the only woodland on the main path through Grandpont Nature Park in the process".Construction works on the bridge is to begin in early 2026 and the city council is aiming for completion by February 2027. You can follow BBC Oxfordshire on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram.
