We recently wrote to District and County Councillors with a summary of the Cadenza report. Many of our local politicians were aware of the report but had not written it, so we provided a convenient summary of those important findings which is accessible here.
The body of the letter is here. Why don’t you use it as your template to highlight the situation to your local town/district or county councillor too?
Dear Cllr….,
Carterton-Witney-Oxford Rail Corridor Study
The new report on a railway from Carterton to Oxford along the A40 corridor has not
received the attention it deserves. Commissioned by Oxfordshire County Council and
researched by Cadenza Transport Consultancy, it really is a most remarkable
document. The report’s most striking points are:
– The current A40 road improvements will be overwhelmed by 2030
– In consequence, West Oxfordshire will begin a slip into economic decline from
that date
– The cost of the railway is much less important than the cost of not having the
railway.
The Cadenza report makes special mention of the County Council’s failure to
negotiate land value capture agreements with developers of housing associated with
the A40 improvements. It is now too late to realise these. Cadenza anticipates that
much of the cost of the railway will be covered by LVC, but only if the approximate
locations of stations are decided soon so that LVC negotiations with developers can
take place.
For your convenience, a much-abbreviated version of the Cadenza report is attached.
The full report can be found at https://news.oxfordshire.gov.uk/oxford-witney-and-
carterton-rail-link-feasibility-study-is-published-in-full/, and additional documentation is
also available from the Witney Oxford Transport Group at the web address below.
Yours sincerely
Stuart Macdonald
Chairman – WOT
Witney Oxford Transport Group 