DIDCOT is to become a ‘garden town’ with the creation of 15,000 new homes and 20,000 hi-tech jobs.

The announcement today paves the way for infrastructure improvements including a £12m northern perimeter road, and a £43m bridge over the railway line from the power station site into Great Western Park.

Housing and Planning minister Brandon Lewis visited Didcot to explain how the new status will boost the local economy.

First he met residents at 3,300-home Great Western Park estate who have bought their home through Sovereign's shared ownership scheme.

Then he met South Oxfordshire District Council leader John Cotton, Vale of White Horse District Council leader Matthew Barber and county council leader Ian Hudspeth at the Cornerstone Arts Centre.

Mr Lewis said: "Didcot is very well placed to be shouting loud and proud about what it is doing as a garden town."

He added that the council leaders were "passionate about infrastructure" but added it was too early to reveal a timetable for funding to be delivered.

The news came a week after Chancellor George Osborne announced that southern Oxfordshire was getting a second enterprise zone, which will create thousands of new jobs. It will also mean South Oxfordshire and Vale of White Horse district councils can keep business rates, leading to £120m of funding towards new roads and other improvements.

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John Cotton, leader of South Oxfordshire District Council, said the councils had put forward an “expression of interest” in £1bn of investment in transport projects over the next 15 to 20 years, including a major revamp of Didcot Parkway rail station.

He added: “Didcot is our main growth area and we want to ensure that we do everything possible to support the quality of life for the people who will live there.

“By successfully applying for garden town status we’re helping to support the new families moving to Didcot, but we’re also making sure the people already there continue to benefit from investment in the town.”

According to SODC, the garden town will bring new neighbourhoods of between 200 and 3,000 homes, which will have a “strong focus on green space”.

Labour town councillor Margaret Davies said: “I will be delighted if garden town status speeds up the funding of improvements like the northern perimeter road. That’s been overdue for 30 years.”

SODC spokesman Andy Roberts said the councils would now produce a garden town ‘masterplan’ as a framework for bidding for infrastructure cash.

Housing and employment growth will be linked with 20,000 new hi-tech jobs created over the next 15 years on the Harwell, Milton Park and Didcot Growth Accelerator Enterprise Zones and on other smaller sites.

Didcot is among the first towns in the country to receive garden town status – others include Bicester, which received the title of garden town last year.

Matthew Barber, leader of Vale of White Horse District Council, said: “People right across our district will benefit from Didcot becoming a garden town.

“This will encourage jobs, better transport links, improved facilities and infrastructure for everyone.”