PEOPLE in Headington fear they may be unable to access their homes by car for weeks at a time after health bosses revealed the full extent of their plans for an inter-hospital heating pipe.

Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust wants to install underground heating pipes – called the Hospital Energy Project – to meet growing demand for heating and hot water at the John Radcliffe and Churchill hospitals.

But according to the trust and its partner Vital Energi, the £14.8m project will involve the temporary closure of many of Headington’s main roads over an 18-month period and may leave residents struggling to get in and out by car.

County councillor Roz Smith said she fully expected Headington to be forced to a “standstill.”

She said: “To shut off the majority of Headington’s main roads at one time is just ludicrous.

“At one point Old Road, Sandfield Road, London Road and Latimer Road will all be closed and that’ll mean absolute mayhem for the people of Headington.

“It’s highly likely people won’t be able to access their own drives or roads and that’s quite frightening.”

Contract manager for Vital Energi, Dave Hutchinson, said: “The work to install the 2.2km pipework will be taking place in stretches of 120 metres at a time on each individual road, but the timings do mean that work on different roads will overlap.

“This may mean some congestion and that residents may be unable to easily access their road or drives, but we are looking to put measures in to make sure this isn’t the case.”

Mr Hutchinson said bosses were considering introducing chevron parking – with cars at an angle – on All Saints Road, Stapleton Road, Old Road, Sandfield Road, London Road and Latimer Road in order to accommodate residents.

Work to All Saints Road is expected to begin on January 4 and end on January 27, with work on Stapleton Road taking from January 11 to March 15.

Work on Old Road is believed to begin on February 23 until April 13 and Sandfield Road from February 2 until April 22.

London Road will take from March 9 to April 14 and the final stretch of Latimer Road will take from March 21 until June 30.

Headington resident Tony Turton said he thought the plans were “even worse” than he had expected.

He said: “It’s one thing to keep us in the dark about a project but to reveal a plan even bigger and more dramatic than first suggested is something else.

“The long-term benefits of the project sound fantastic, but I can tell you that it is going to cause outrage in Headington if we can’t get in and out of our own homes properly.”

Andrew Stevens, director of planning and information, defended the trust’s plans and said they would be “hugely beneficial” in the long term.

He said: “The project will reduce our carbon footprint, increase energy efficiency and save costs. In the next 25 years, Vital Energi has guaranteed savings of £2.3m on the cost of heating and energy supply and will be making savings of £12.1m elsewhere. Not only that, it is not costing the hospital a penny as it is being funded by Vital Energi.”

The trust and Vital Energi said they would like to work with the residents of Headington throughout the 18-month project and they welcome suggestions for the plans.

Email hospitalenergyproject@ouh.nhs.uk or ring 01865 220600.