£1bn science park plans ring alarms

4:00pm Wednesday 27th August 2008

RESIDENTS want investment in roads following news that 5,000 jobs will be created at Harwell science park.

Community leaders welcomed news of the £1bn expansion plan for the Harwell Science and Innovation Campus, announced by the Government earlier this month.

But some south Oxfordshire residents, especially those living in surrounding villages, said the employment opportunities would put pressure on the existing road infrastructure and amenities in the Didcot area.

Jean Gannon, 72, of High Street, Didcot, said: "I'm not against Harwell expanding, but the infrastructure has got to be there to cope with the influx of people: the roads, the schools, the drainage - all those things have to be considered first."

Didcot businessman Steve Roberts, 28, said: "They are going to have to re-evaluate the roads, especially Station Road, because it's a nightmare with all the commuters coming in and out of the station.

"If there's going to be more of them, the roads will be a bit of an issue."

Jennie Kuca, 61, of Main Road, East Hagbourne, said the village was already used as a rat-run and congested in term time.

She said: "The school is also at bursting point. The infrastructure definitely needs to be considered before anything else."

Harwell campus managers said the site was likely to become the biggest and best science park in the world through the 20-year development, a joint venture by a new public-private partnership, made up of the UK Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA), the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC) and international property group Goodman.

Stephen White, UKAEA's director of strategy, said: "Clearly, the development envisaged on the campus and the growth of the local economy more generally requires investment in housing, transport and skills, and we are already in discussion with the planning authorities and the regional development authority about how this can be achieved."

Tracey Dow, Oxfordshire County Council's transport strategy manager, said the authority would work closely with the district councils on a transport strategy for the area.

She also said the council would look for a contribution to transport infrastructure from the developers and other Government funding initiatives.

Sue Totterdell, of West Hagbourne Parish Council, said: "We already have a significant amount of traffic which accesses the Harwell site via the village. We are a small village and any increase in traffic will be completely unacceptable. Any development that happens must consider road infrastructure to make sure villages between Didcot and Harwell are not disrupted. We also want to make sure lots more houses aren't allocated in the parish."

Harwell parish councillor Kate Beswick said: "Harwell village will suffer because there is no other way to get to the site from Didcot other than through Harwell.

"The traffic will be absolutely horrendous."

Ian Thompson, chairman of Chilton Parish Council, said increased use of the narrow Hagbourne Hill Road would be a concern because of serious road safety implications.

About 10,000 square metres of laboratory, high technology, industrial and office space will be developed on sites within the existing 300-hectare Harwell campus.

A start date for the development has not been confirmed yet.