Homes England has entered into a grant funding agreement with Oxfordshire County Council to provide £17.3m of infrastructure funding for the A34 Lodge Hill Interchange scheme.
Vale of White Horse District Council had initially granted planning approval for approximately 950 dwellings on the Abbey Fields site in north Abingdon. However, as local roads were already at capacity, housing development was put on hold until Oxfordshire County Council was able to fund and contract works to improve the existing Lodge Hill junction on the A34.
With grant funding from Homes England, the scheme aims to improve junction capacity at Lodge Hill and means work on the remaining 820 homes on the Abbey Fields site can go ahead.
Pauline Schaffer, director of infrastructure funding at Homes England, said the multi-million-pound funding would “provide strategic transport infrastructure, unlocking 820 homes in north Abingdon and supporting wider housing and economic growth in the area”.
Councillor Judy Roberts, Oxfordshire County Council’s cabinet member for infrastructure and development strategy, added: “The A34 Lodge Hill scheme will improve connectivity to and from the north of Abingdon, avoiding the town centre and making it easier for people to choose walking, cycling or taking public transport as part of their daily routine.
“Securing funding from Homes England and appointing a design and build contractor represents major milestones for the project, and the council is now in a strong position to accelerate towards construction. This project has been in development for a long time and is much needed and wanted by the residents of Abingdon.”
Construction on site is expected to begin this summer.
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