You can't park there! Council builds new £51million 850

A council has nearly finished building a £51million 'park and ride' site that critics claim will not be used 'for years' because there is no road into it.

The 850-space car park off the A40 in Eynsham, Oxfordshire was finished in January - apart from some landscaping works - and was promised to cut congestion in the area by a third.

But a councillor claims it is going to remain 'shut for a number of years' while Oxfordshire County Council find money to build the road to access it. 

Liam Walker said: 'My understanding is that the park and ride site will soon be complete, but then it's going to be shut for a number of years while the county council work to install the access.

An aerial view of Eynsham Park & Ride which could remain shut 'for years'

A view of the 850-space car park off the A40

A CGI image showing how the park and ride site would look after completion 

'This is a disappointing and a backwards way to do things in my mind as it means the site cannot be used when we now have a regular bus service into Oxford passing and also into London.'

Last July the county cabinet approved a new plan to complete the £180million overall A40 improvement plan in phases.

Oxfordshire County Council estimates the facility has the capacity to cut up to a third of the peak traffic travelling in each direction on the heavily congested A40 between Witney and Oxford.

A spokesperson for Oxfordshire County Council said: 'The new 850 space Eynsham park and ride site is almost complete, on schedule and within budget. 

'The park and ride is designed to be connected to proposed bus lanes between Eynsham and Oxford, as part of the wider A40 improvements programme.

Critics claim that the site will not be used 'for years' because there is no road going into it 

Picture shows the road the construction teams have been using to access the site

'Completing the park and ride site now, ahead of the rest of the work in the area which required more complicated approval, has saved millions of pounds in inflation and construction costs. 

'This was a conscious decision, taken at a time when costs were rising rapidly across all industries.

'Delays caused by funding pressures, including inflation, mean the wider A40 scheme needed to be redesigned, and now prioritises bus and bike travel. 

'We are talking to Homes England and the Department for Transport, the main funding bodies for the programme, to agree a way forward. Our conversations with them are at an advanced stage and we hope to be able to share more soon.

'We are ready to progress with the work, including bus lanes, once funding is confirmed.

'The park and ride, located on the A40 between Oxford and Witney, is designed to provide an attractive and sustainable alternative to driving into the city. When connected to the planned bus lanes, the park and ride will help improve reliability, frequency, and connectivity of public transport services into Oxford from the west.

'Work to build the site began in December 2022. Contractors are currently working on landscaping the site and that should be complete in May 2024.

'The current timeline suggests the park and ride could be fully in use by 2026 or 2027, subject to planning and construction.'