THE proposed Northern Gateway development on land enclosed by very busy roads and the soon-to-be-busy railway to Milton Keynes and beyond is understandably causing much local concern. At the Core Strategy Inquiry in 2011, the inspector said development should not take place without adequate infrastructure to cope with any extra traffic.

At the recent examination into the Northern Gateway development, the councils and the Highways Agency announced that they were confident that many new projects, such as work at Pear Tree and improvements on the A34, would significantly improve the situation.

But many of these are not yet designed and not planned to be in place before 2021.

The projects include the ‘strategic off-site link road between the A40 and the A44’, only partially funded at present, with a completion date of spring 2019. County sources say completion is expected in January 2018. Which is correct? Is either?

And why do council officers say that this road is not necessary – for the Northern Gateway project?

Given the current congestion at the Wolvercote roundabout, and the projected increase in background traffic, a very significant reduction in traffic here is clearly essential, on top of the redesign. The link road should be completed before occupation of the site and traffic volume severely reduced by diverting all through east-west traffic along it, to the A34 and the M40. This is the only way to reduce congestion for all residents and workers in the area, and enable proper priority for pedestrians and cyclists.

JEAN FOOKS Liberal Democrat County Councillor for Wolvercote and Summertown St Bernard’s Road, Oxford