THE alliance which campaigned against building a new road across vast swathes of countryside near their homes has welcomed news the project has been cancelled.

The No Expressway group said Government had 'finally listened to the chorus of voices' objecting to the road.

It now plans to challenge Government housebuilding plans in the region between Oxford and Cambridge.

David Rogers, Secretary of the No Expressway Group, added: "The other half of the Oxford to Cambridge Arc proposals is the one million houses that have always been part of the Governments ambition to increase the Arc’s economic output by £163 billion each year.

"Large though this increase is, investing in areas of the country away from the over-crowded South East would bring even greater economic benefits, without the need to build a million new houses and ‘import’ the workers from elsewhere in the country, or from abroad.

"Investment elsewhere would also reduce the inequality between the different regions of the UK; inequality which is greater than in all other countries in Europe.”

On Thursday, the Government said it was cancelling the road because the costs outweighed the benefit of building it.

However, the road was deeply unpopular with voters across several counties, and Grant Shapps, the Transport Secretary had promised to place it under review as an election pledge in November 2019.

The Berks, Bucks and Oxon Wildlife Trust (BBOWT) also welcomed news of the road being scrapped, after having issued a legal challenge to the new road.

Matthew Stanton, Head of Planning, Policy and Advocacy at BBOWT said: “Development and growth will continue across the OxCam Arc, but future plans must have nature at their heart.”

Political leaders in Oxford and surrounding areas also welcomed the news.