Controversial bridge gets £3.7m budget boost

Construction of the Oxpens River Bridge is due to begin in spring 2026

A council has voted to increase the budget to build a controversial bridge over the River Thames by £3.7m.

The Oxpens River Bridge in Oxford would link Grandpont Nature Park to Oxpens Meadow, providing a walking and cycling route between planned developments on either side of the water.

The decision by Oxford City Council's cabinet raises the total project cost to £14m - up from £10.3m. It comes as campaign group Friends of Grandpont Nature Park awaits a decision on whether its judicial review appeal against the plans can proceed.

The council said the rise in costs was due to inflation in construction prices, caused by delays resulting from the legal challenge.

To secure the additional funding, authority will be delegated to several staff members to manage legal agreements and enter an amended arrangement with Oxfordshire County Council.

This will allow Growth Deal funding from the government to be spent in the 2026/27 financial year.

'Wrecking woodland'

Alex Hollingsworth, Labour cabinet member for planning and culture, said that the original funding "was provided by central government and it came through the Oxfordshire Growth Deal".

"Oxfordshire County Council was the accountable body, the city council then, after some considerable time, became essentially the delivery mechanism," he said.

"It is not our money. We cannot spend it on something else."

Hollingsworth said there was currently no contract in place with contractor to build the bridge.

Construction work is due to begin in spring 2026.

Campaigners have raised concerns about the environmental impact and flood resilience of the proposed route.

They argue that the path between Osney Mead and the new bridge is not fully floodproofed, and that pedestrians would need to cross a section of towpath under the rail bridge that floods regularly.

A spokesperson for the group said it was "an incredible" amount of public money and that the structure would end up "wrecking the only woodland on the main path through Grandpont Nature Park in the process".