Unused £32m park and ride given new opening date

The opening of an park and ride site that has sat unused for two years has been delayed until summer 2028.

Oxfordshire County Council said connecting the £32m Eynsham site to the A40 "remains a priority" and work on a £126m scheme to improve public transport and link the parking area to the road was "now progressing".

The 850-space facility was completed in 2024 but has remained closed due to no road access, and the council previously said it would be ready by 2027.

Councillor Liam Walker, leader of the Oxfordshire Alliance, said the costs associated with the delays in the facility's delivery was "hugely embarrassing".

Planning permission to finish the scheme was granted in June and it also includes bus priority lanes, new and upgraded junctions, crossings and upgraded active travel pathways installed on the key commuter route between Oxford and Witney.

The scheme was previously halted for two years in 2022 because of "cost pressures caused by high inflation", leaving the park and ride site, which was funded using a grant, dormant.

The local authority said connecting the park and ride to the A40 was the first element to be delivered and it was progressing with measures such as vegetation clearance and utility diversion works.

The county council said it had conducted a review with contractor Balfour Beatty before main construction could begin in spring 2027, with enabling works anticipated to start in the autumn.

It said the park and ride would be operational the following summer and the project would be completed a year later in 2029.

Liz Leffman, the council's transport chief, said the authority was aware that people were "keen to see these benefits delivered" and that work was progressing to bring the park and ride into use "as soon as possible".

The BBC previously revealed that security, lighting and fencing at the site was costing £9,531.50 per month, whilst it remained inaccessible to traffic.

Walker said the cost to taxpayers was "hugely embarrassing".

"We're not happy about it, they just need to pull their finger out and get on with it.

"West Oxford residents have waited long enough to be able to use that park and ride."