Council place and environment boss, Cllr Judy Roberts, confirmed that the local authority will apply to Homes England’s £79.6 million discretionary fund for the Didcot to Culham river crossing, which already has £332.538 million secured.

The new dual-carriageway bridge will connect the A4130 at Didcot with the A415 at Culham and includes a bridge over the Thames, over a rail siding and connections to Appleford and Sutton Courtney villages via the B4106 with segregated walking and cycling facilities.

This is one of three “major infrastructure projects” in the Didcot Garden Town Housing Infrastructure Fund (HIF1) programme.

It aims to “relieve congestion, and support the delivery of over 12,655 new homes and significant employment growth across the Science Vale”.

At a meeting on Friday (May 1), Mrs Roberts explained: “They will give us this money, but we would have to apply for it to justify it.

“I think, given the global problems at the moment, that that is quite a good justification.”

She added: “We have had informal words that they are probably happy to do that. ”

(Image: Oxfordshire County Council)

(Image: Oxfordsshire County Council)

At that meeting, she also greenlit the awarding of a construction contract for the building of the crossing’s “central span”, which has an estimated cost of around £151 million.

The final decision on the contract lies with the council’s director of environment and highways.

The meeting heard concerns from an Appleford-on-Thames parish councillor, Greg O’Broin, who had predicted costs could rise above £400 million in August 2025.

The council previously campaigned against the HIF1 programme, but now accepts that planning permission has been given and Mr O’Broin attended to “register concerns” of the “community most affected by this scheme”.

He has described the crossing as a “fly-over” for the village, “with loss of trees, landscape damage, traffic noise and now significant disruption to the lives of persons during construction.”

Cllr Greg O’Broin, Appleford-on-Thames Parish Council (Image: Greg O’Broin)

He called the risk of overrun with the project “real”, which was a concern due to the Homes England funding ending in March 2028.

The parish council has called for greater transparency on costs, a rethink on an “unacceptable” eight-month road closure, and for traffic light infrastructure to combat “danger at a junction” of the B4016 with the crossing to help protect village children.

He said: “The council must reduce the closure period”

At the meeting, council officers agreed to share more information on estimated costs.

Mrs Roberts agreed to look into potential traffic lights in the scheme’s design and said she believes that the crossing will provide traffic relief for villages and “ancient” bridges in the area.

She also hopes that the project will run under budget.

Salam Karis, 35, was sentenced at Oxford Crown Court on Friday after an incident at a towpath near Hythe Bridge Street on January 19, 2014.

The court heard he fled the country after being granted bail, and only returned to the UK in a small boat from Iraq in July last year.

He was convicted by a jury of three counts of rape at a trial earlier this year of raping the woman after they had been at The Bridge Nightclub and Anuba which was part of the same set-up.

The court heard the woman had been visiting a friend in Oxford at the time of the incident after travelling up from Brighton.

The woman told the jury that her friend had just turned 18 and they were planning to go out.

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After being given drinks at the club by Karis and others, she was led away from the club towards the canal towpath and a wooded area and raped.

The victim, now 32, read out an impact statement in court. She said: “I was driven two hours in a police car to a rape crisis centre in Milton Keynes.

“The examination was deeply humiliating. I felt like a lab rat. I’m haunted by the memory of the forensic examination.

“I could not have imagined justice would take this long. After the incident I was emotionally derailed and emotionally unstable.

“I’ve always been a very strong woman. Despite this, I have suffered with vulnerability.

Salam Karis (Image: TVP)

“For years, I have experienced random panic attacks. The defendant skipped bail and fled the country illegally.

“Bail should never have been given in the first place, the justice system failed me. I have spent 12 years trying to heal from something that should never have happened.

“I hope justice will prevail.”

The court heard that Karis initially came to the UK when he was 17 in 2008 from war-torn Iraq. Also that he has no previous convictions.

In mitigation, that court heard that Karis continues to deny that the offences were committed by him, but was sorry for the impact on the victim.

The Bridge (Image: Google Street View)

Judge Maria Lamb said: “12 years ago, in the dark and in the rain on a towpath by the canal, you raped the victim.

“You were convicted unanimously of your crimes. She was able to say ‘no’ and she said it more than once and you ignored her.

“It’s clear the impact on her has been devastating. You ran away to escape the consequences of your crimes.

“She has suffered from severe psychological harm.”

Karis was jailed for 13 years and given an indefinite restraining order to not contact the victim.

He was also put on the sex offenders’ register for life.

In October, Jericho community organiser John Mair warned that the Lazy Saturday and Lazy Sunday events, which are staged at Mount Place featuring music and food, were in danger of being cancelled.

During the past five years, Mr Mair from Jericho, has organised a series of free Lazy Saturday, Lazy Sunday and Oktoberfest events.

READ MORE: Lazy Saturday could be scrapped

Local bands play and food including hotdogs is provided by local businesses and about 200 people usually turn up.

Mr Mair, aged 75, called for more help in organising the event due to his age, and now it is set to return on Saturday, May 9.

Lazy Saturday (Image: John Mair)

Mr Mair said: “Lazy Saturday is returning to Mount Place, the village square beside the canal.

“It will be there there for families to enjoy from midday.

“There will be music from four local bands, fresh beer from the Little Ox brewery, German sausages from Tom the German sausage man, and stalls selling a variety of Jericho merchandise.

“Come along – it’s free and is open until 6pm.”

Mr Mair added: “I was going to give Lazy Saturdays a 2026 sabbatical but local musicians pleaded with me (to run it) as they really enjoyed playing a community event by the canal – please do come and support them.”

Mr Mair started the events after Oxford City Council revamped Mount Place, and volunteers from the Greening Jericho group “put in some lovely plants”.

“It became a nice communal area for people to use, except they weren’t using it,” he said earlier.

Mr Mair also organises about 30 events a year under the MyJericho umbrella, which also features themed walks in the area, and guest talks at St Barnabas Church.

But he said the Mount Place gatherings “take the most work”.

“I have to submit a health and safety form to the city council, an event plan has to be approved, it costs £120 to put it on, and you have to put a deposit down,” he added.