Sir – The Vale’s Local Plan proposes four large housing developments to the North of Abingdon-on-Thames. Around 1,510 new houses will be built in the Green Belt. But construction of the South facing slip roads onto the A34 at Lodge Hill has apparently been delayed.

Many of the new residents are likely to drive around Dunmore Road, Copenhagen Drive, Colwell Drive and Marcham Road to the A34 on their way to work in Didcot or Harwell. This will add to existing traffic congestion along this route. The South facing Lodge Hill slip roads are expected to take some of the new and existing traffic off this route round the town.

The infrastructure delivery plan issued by the Vale planners in March 2015 linked the new houses and the slip roads, saying that: “Growth arising directly from the north Abingdon, South Kennington and North West Radley sites requires the creation of south facing slips on the A34 at Lodge Hill.

It will be necessary for the slips to be delivered early in the phasing of the development.” But the ‘Statement of Common Ground’ issued in September weakened this statement, by a ‘minor modification’ to: “Growth arising directly from north Abingdon, South Kennington and North West Radley sites will help to facilitate delivery of south facing slips on the A34 at Lodge Hill.”

So the slip roads are, apparently, no longer ‘required’, ‘necessary’ or to ‘be delivered early in the phasing of the development’.

David Illingworth
North Abingdon