CAMPAIGNERS fighting the Oxford Cambridge Expressway may have won a battle to protect wildlife at Otmoor but they know the war is not yet over.

Now, a number of different allies have come together under the No Expressway Alliance banner to combat the chosen route.

On Wednesday it emerged that Corridor B, which would see a road pass either to the north-west or south-east of Oxford, then north to Bicester and beyond, had been selected out of three possible options.

As the No Expressway Alliance was launched yesterday at The Tap Social in North Hinksey Lane, campaigners from various groups insisted the route, which could cost an estimated £3bn to build, was not required.

Issuing a rally cry to campaigners, Chris Churc, of Oxford Friends of the Earth, said: “We had a victory when the Government recognised they can’t put a road through Otmoor.

“It was one small victory but a pretty damn good place to start.

“This is not a done deal – it is a campaign that we can win – now we need to get the message out to every organisation, including book groups and toddler groups.

“If there are politicians in the community who think the expressway will be good for their careers we need to make them think otherwise.”

Organisations now opposing the expressway on any route also include North Hinksey Parish Council, North Otmoor No Expressway Group and Horton-cum-Studley a Expressway Group.

Steve Dawe, a spokesman for the No Expressway Alliance, insisted there was no need for the road and said there was no “best or worst” route.

He added: “The plan would not solve the transport problems facing Oxfordshire and would generate more traffic congestion around employment centres such as Oxford.

“The new road would cause significant loss or irreplaceable nature sites across Oxfordshire and the other affected areas.

“And the increased car journeys would add to air pollution across the county and increase carbon emissions undermining attempts to tackle climate change.”

Mr Dawe added that building homes along the route for “car-borne commuters” would “do nothing to meet Oxford’s desperate need for low cost homes for local people”.

Emily Smith, Liberal Democrat county councillor for Botley, said residents in her division needed more specific information about the proposed route as they did not know if their homes would be bulldozed as a result.

Liberal Democrat MP Layla Moran said earlier that the Corridor B announcement left questions about the impact on homes in Botley, Abingdon and surrounding areas “unanswered” while Oxford East MP Anneliese Dodds called for the Government to prioritise rail electrification instead. The plans will be put to a full public consultation next year, ahead of a scheduled opening in 2030.

Chris Todd, director of Campaign for Better Transport, told campaigners: “A two-lane expressway will not be enough – we could be looking at three or four lanes.”