AMBITIOUS proposals for £1.6bn of transport and development schemes in Oxfordshire have been unveiled by a partnership of businesses, universities and councils.

Almost 40 projects are proposed, including link roads, railway station expansions and major research centres to help scientists turn their ideas into new enterprises. Among them are a £10.4m overhaul of the Cowley interchange junction on the Eastern Bypass, a £5.3m state-of-the-art heating network for Oxford’s West End, a £5m Oxford Brookes University ‘enterprise centre’ and a £9m expansion of a drug development facility based at the Churchill Hospital.

The biggest scheme is the transformation of Osney Mead industrial estate – revealed by the Oxford Mail in May – into a high-tech ‘knowledge park’.

It is estimated it could see almost £615m invested into the West Oxford site.

And the Oxfordshire Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) – which includes Oxford’s two universities and the county’s biggest councils and businesses – is poised to launch a charm offensive in September to lobby the Government for cash.

It is hoped that a quarter of the funds will come from the public purse, with the rest coming from private firms.

LEP chief executive Nigel Tipple said: “The ambition is to encourage joint schemes between the public and private sectors, to drive new product development and secure economic growth for Oxfordshire.

“The exact split of public and private cash for each project is still being negotiated, but all these projects can be delivered.”

The package of proposals was hailed by MPs and business leaders, with Oxford East MP Andrew Smith calling for new homes to house future workers.

Mr Smith said: “This will help keep Oxfordshire at the global cutting edge of scientific research, its practical application and commercial exploitation.

“There are some stunning research projects which could benefit from this, as well as much-needed investment in our transport infrastructure.

“What we need now is also a lot more housing to accommodate the people who will do the jobs all this investment will generate.”

Oxford City Council leader Bob Price said: “The Oxford science and research-based economy is growing rapidly and these projects seek to capitalise on the potential that we have, to grow more jobs and pull in investment from the private sector.”

It emerged yesterday that a scheme to overhaul the Cowley interchange on the Eastern Bypass was also part of wider plans to boost business in East Oxford, Cowley and Headington.

Oxfordshire County Council, which has dubbed the area the ‘Eastern Arc’, wants to make the junction a new transport interchange, coupled with bus priority lanes and improved facilities for cyclists on the B480 Garsington Road.

County council leader Ian Hudspeth told the Oxford Mail: “We want it to become a connectivity hub, because there are now a huge number of jobs based in that part of the city.

“Part of that is making sure there is better public transport, which at the moment is poor in the area, and that will also mean less congestion for workers travelling.”

The proposals are part of the Oxford Transport Strategy, set to be considered by senior councillors on July 21.

Oxford Mail:

  • Council leader: Ian Hudspeth

There are also several proposals to expand Oxfordshire’s science and technology parks at Begbroke, Culham, Harwell and Milton.

And it comes as the city’s two universities and Oxfordshire County Council are bidding for £5.79m to pay for a new bus route to link the county’s main science hubs.

Served by electric buses, it would connect Begbroke Science Park with Oxford University’s science area in the city centre, the Old Road Campus in Headington, the Said Business School near Oxford Station, Egrove Park in Kennington, Milton Park and Harwell Science Campus.

It is also envisioned it will eventually link with the planned Northern Gateway science park in North Oxford, approved by a planning inspector last month.

Plans to upgrade Hanborough Station, near Witney, Culham Station, Didcot Parkway Station and Oxford Station were also revealed.

SOME OF THE SCHEMES

* £614.5m: Oxford University has proposed that Osney Mead Industrial Estate is transformed into ‘Osney Mead Knowledge Park’, featuring a mixture of university research departments, start-ups and high-tech firms. The redevelopment will, it is hoped, bring an additional £4bn boost to Oxford’s economy and up to 5,000 new jobs in the next decade. It will include flood prevention works, the burying of power-lines and a new pedestrian and cycle bridge across the Thames from Oxpens.

* £16m: Oxford City Council has proposed a network of ‘enterprise centres’ to help foster new start-up businesses in the city. It would work with other organisations like Oxford University and the City of Oxford College to offer expertise.

* £5.3m: Oxford’s West End covers Oxpens, City of Oxford College, the Westgate Shopping Centre and Oxford Station. The city council has proposed to link the sites with a ‘heat network’. It would provide lower cost heat and electricity to residential and commercial sites and be more environmentally friendly than normal networks. It could also be phased out to other parts of the city centre.

* £9m: Oxford University has proposed expanding the Clinical BioManufacturing Facility at the Churchill Hospital. It would allow it to provide its drug-producing services at more affordable prices.