Crime & Safety
Progress announcement for unused Oxfordshire park and ride
The 850-space facility on the A40 at Eynsham, was completed in 2024 but has remained closed because it has no road access.
Oxfordshire County Council is expected to sign a deal with builders Balfour Beatty on Monday to build a four-and-a-half mile stretch of the A40, as well as new bus lanes, cycle lanes and pedestrian crossings between Eynsham and Wolvercote.
READ MORE: Park-and-ride will be completed
A council report said the park and ride was expected to open in 2027.
Development on the site began in 2022 but the scheme was halted for two years because of cost issues.
The site is unused at the moment, but a planning application to connect it to the A40 was submitted in July last year.
The council said the park and ride was completed on time and to budget because of a separate ring-fenced grant, though “cost pressures caused by high inflation” temporarily halted the rest of the A40 improvements scheme.
Oxfordshire county councillor Dan Levy (Image: Contributed)
Dan Levy, cabinet member for finance, said the unused £32m facility had been “embarrassing” for the council but it had been “the most cost-effective and efficient way to do things”.
He added: “There’s no point pretending it’s a glorious triumph – it isn’t but the outcome is the best it can be given the circumstances.
“The scheme we were left with by the previous administration was grossly over-specced and wasn’t properly financed.
“It’s taken a lot of work to make sure that the scheme that will get approved next week will be one that fits the finance envelope and meets the environment agencies demands for that stretch of road. But it will finally happen.”
Traffic on the A40 (Image: Oxford Mail)
The expected council approval will also mark the completion of the wider A40 project, aimed at improving transport connections, promoting sustainable travel such as cycling, and reducing emissions.
It will also create new jobs and support the requirements of major local housing developments in west Oxfordshire, such as the planned 2,200 homes at Salt Cross garden village between Witney and Oxford.
The entire project also includes a new junction with traffic lights at the park-and-ride and an upgrade to the Eynsham roundabout.
All major construction work at the 19-acre site on the A40 eastbound in Eynsham was completed in January 2024.
At the end of last year, Conservative county councilor Liam Walker criticised the way the scheme had been handled.
He described the costs as “outrageous” and said it “continued to be an embarrassment” for the Liberal Democrat administration.
He added at the time: “I think it’s outrageous that it’s costing nearly £10,000 per month to essentially maintain an empty car park.”
Crime & Safety
A40 CLOSED after serious crash as police rush on scene
The A40 in Oxford has been closed due to a serious crash. Police are on scene
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Crime & Safety
Jeremy Clarkson issues warning over problem at farm
The TV presenter and Oxfordshire farmer, took to social media platform X to highlight the strain of the May heatwave, describing it as “another challenge for British farming”, rather than a short-term weather event.
Some of the hottest meteorological spring temperatures were recorded in the UK, including in Oxfordshire, which saw record-breaking highs of 33.6C in Benson, near Wallingford.
READ MORE: Oxford boy 11th person to die in water during heatwave
This meant farmers had to start their day as early as 3am to move livestock to the shade to protect them from rising temperatures.
He added that dairy cows in Cumbria are now drinking twice as much water as usual, while milk yields are already dropping.
Mr Clarkson also pointed to conditions across arable regions, noting that the East of England has experienced one of its driest Aprils on record, with already planted crops beginning to fail.
Jeremy Clarkson with Kaleb Cooper in Oxfordshire. (Image: Prime Video)
“That wheat becomes your bread, your pasta, your breakfast cereal,” Mr Clarkson wrote, warning that another week of extreme heat could see thousands of acres written off.
He contrasted the UK’s response with Ireland, where the Government has issued guidance to avoid transporting animals during the hottest parts of the day.
In comparison, Mr Clarkson said there had been “nothing new” from Westminster.
While stressing he was not “scaremongering”, Mr Clarkson questioned whether policymakers fully understand the impact on food production.
He added: “The weather is getting harder. The Government is getting quieter.”
Crime & Safety
Couple create £8k garden office using shipping container
Abbie and her husband Matthew Newton from Ipsden in South Oxfordshire, have transformed a bright blue 20ft-long shipping container into a stylish garden office and studio.
As an extension to their 70s bungalow was out of budget, so they came up with a quirky alternative that perfectly aligned with their tiny living obsession.
The bright blue 20ft-long shipping container is now a stylish multi-functional garden office and studio (Image: Abbie Newton)
Mrs Newton said the couple had always had a fascination with tiny homes and had already converted a van into a camper van.
She said: “We wanted to free up an extra bedroom in the house for a working space, but the cost of an extension wasn’t something we could entertain.
“A DIY garden office seemed like the best way to capitalise on space at a more affordable cost.”
Mrs Newton, a product photographer, and Mr Newton, who works in the film industry, were fortunate to know someone who was selling a shipping container.
The once blue, now black, 20ft shipping container which was converted into a garden office and studio (Image: Abbie Newton)
The ground was muddy and the winter weather was miserable when it first arrived in December2024. But now, they are completing the finishing touches to their garden building.
She said: “The container fitted in perfectly with the garden and painting it black matched the black barn of our neighbours just behind it. It feels like it’s blended in with the surrounding farm buildings and countryside so well.
“The first steps were to insulate it and board it up, which we hired someone local to do. Then it was all about getting electricity to it, which we luckily had a friend who could help.”
Natural light was “going to make or break the project”, so they replaced the heavy contained door with stylish black French doors from Leader Online.
She said: “We made sure to place the office right where the sun hits, and it’s glorious when the sunset light floods in. It’s a beautiful place to work and great for photography if I ever want to play with natural light.
“Plus, the double patio doors let us take in the countryside views that made us buy this property.”
The couple’s 70s bungalow add-on, equipped with stylish black French doors (Image: Abbie Newton)
The space is now a multi-functional dream for the creative couple, also including DJ decks, a computer set-up, and a photography studio.
She added: “The best thing about a renovation journey is being able to put your own stamp on all parts of your home and garden.
“Using a container as a starting point has allowed us to do that while being cheaper than buying a large garden office or going ahead with a loft conversion or extension.”
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