Agenda item

Cabinet Member: Highway Management

Forward Plan Ref: 2022/216

Contact: Olu Solola, Programme Lead, olu.solola@oxfordshire.gov.uk

Report by Director of Transport & Infrastructure (CA7).

To review the programme phasing.

The Cabinet is RECOMMENDED to:

a)              Approve Officers recommendations that The Oxfordshire County Council (Highways Infrastructure - A40 HIF2 Smart Corridor (Hill Farm to Dukes Cut)) Compulsory Purchase Order 2022 (“the CPO”) and The Oxfordshire County Council (Highways Infrastructure - A40 HIF2 Smart Corridor (Hill Farm to Dukes Cut)) (Side Roads) Order 2022 (“the SRO”) must be withdrawn from the ongoing statutory process to allow time to further review the scheme.

b)              Authorise the Director of Law & Governance to write to the Secretary of State for Transport to formally withdraw The Oxfordshire County Council (Highways Infrastructure – A40 HIF2 Smart Corridor (Hill Farm to Dukes Cut)) (Side Roads) Order 2022 (“the SRO”) and The Oxfordshire County Council (Highways Infrastructure - A40 HIF2 Smart Corridor (Hill Farm to Dukes Cut)) Compulsory Purchase Order 2022 (“the CPO”) (including the related Order Maps, Plans, Schedules and Joint Statement of Reasons) and noting that this will result in a formal non-confirmation decision from the Secretary of State;

c)              To authorise the Director of Law and Governance to include in the letter to the Secretary of State that it is not considered that any objections to the current Orders can carry to any fresh orders as the timescale for fresh orders is imprecise at this stage, and because it is unclear whether the amended proposal in fresh orders might attract those same objections, and to authorise the settlement of any professional fees that may have been incurred by objectors to the Orders in relation to the production of such objections.

d)              As soon as the CPO and the SRO have received a non-confirmation decision from the Secretary of State, to authorise the Director of Law & Governance to comply with all associated requirements in respect of personal, site and press notices of non-confirmation and to take all other relevant actions required thereon to ensure the withdrawal of the CPO and the SRO.

Cabinet received an update report on the HIF2 Scheme.  As part of the ongoing delivery of the HIF2 A40 Programme and in light of the global inflationary pressures being experienced in all sectors, a detailed review had been undertaken of the HIF2 Scheme.  As a result of this review, cost pressures had been identified that result in the HIF2 Scheme exceeding its current budget.  This had made it necessary to obtain Cabinet approval to withdraw the current CPO and SRO from the ongoing statutory process to allow further time to review the scheme in detail and consider mitigations to these cost pressures.

Councillor Duncan Enright, Cabinet Member for Travel & Development Strategy, summarised the report.  In light of the current difficulties around inflation, availability of materials and workforce pressures, governance and finance staff had been monitoring progress on all major infrastructure projects.

Compulsory Purchase Orders and Side Road Orders had been approved by Cabinet for this scheme which was aiming to improve connectivity for newly planned development.  Having reviewed this project, it was proposed to withdraw these Orders and return with a new scheme that fits the current financial and legal situations.

Councillor Enright proposed the recommendations.  They were seconded by Councillor Gant and agreed.

RESOLVED to:

a)          Approve Officers recommendations that The Oxfordshire County Council (Highways Infrastructure - A40 HIF2 Smart Corridor (Hill Farm to Dukes Cut)) Compulsory Purchase Order 2022 (“the CPO”) and The Oxfordshire County Council (Highways Infrastructure - A40 HIF2 Smart Corridor (Hill Farm to Dukes Cut)) (Side Roads) Order 2022 (“the SRO”) must be withdrawn from the ongoing statutory process to allow time to further review the scheme.

b)          Authorise the Director of Law & Governance to write to the Secretary of State for Transport to formally withdraw The Oxfordshire County Council (Highways Infrastructure – A40 HIF2 Smart Corridor (Hill Farm to Dukes Cut)) (Side Roads) Order 2022 (“the SRO”) and The Oxfordshire County Council (Highways Infrastructure - A40 HIF2 Smart Corridor (Hill Farm to Dukes Cut)) Compulsory Purchase Order 2022 (“the CPO”) (including the related Order Maps, Plans, Schedules and Joint Statement of Reasons) and noting that this will result in a formal non-confirmation decision from the Secretary of State;

c)          To authorise the Director of Law and Governance to include in the letter to the Secretary of State that it is not considered that any objections to the current Orders can carry to any fresh orders as the timescale for fresh orders is imprecise at this stage, and because it is unclear whether the amended proposal in fresh orders might attract those same objections, and to authorise the settlement of any professional fees that may have been incurred by objectors to the Orders in relation to the production of such objections.

d)          As soon as the CPO and the SRO have received a non-confirmation decision from the Secretary of State, to authorise the Director of Law & Governance to comply with all associated requirements in respect of personal, site and press notices of non-confirmation and to take all other relevant actions required thereon to ensure the withdrawal of the CPO and the SRO.