A new Science Vale Area Action Plan consultation document, prepared by the Vale of the White Horse District council, promises to push for new rail connections to Heathrow, improved local connections to Oxford, further improvements at Didcot and Culham stations, and to seek the provision of a new railway station at Grove.
The council is also seeking additional major pieces of road infrastructure that cross district boundaries, such as a new Thames river crossing at Culham.
Science Vale is an area located in southern Oxfordshire, with the city of Oxford to the north and the M4 to the south. It is a key part of the Oxfordshire Local Enterprise Partnership’s Strategic Economic Plan (SEP). The SEP identifies Science Vale as having the highest concentration of science research facilities and development activity in Western Europe, and also one of the most successful science areas in the UK.
To achieve the vision, it has set out a number of measurable objectives. As with Science Vale’s issues and vision, these are grouped around the four key themes of Enterprise, People, Place and Connectivity: Develop masterplans for Harwell Campus and Culham Science Centre to guide change and enable swift planning decisions to be made. Develop policies that encourage, or allocate, a sustainable balance of businesses and commercial activities at strategic sites in Science Vale. Ensure development sites create a vibrant locality and contribute to the wider economic vision for Science Vale. Ensure land is available for ‘big science’ facilities and general business in appropriate locations, including incubator and grow on space.
The consultation period for the Science Vale Area Action Plan, Issues and Scope, will finish at 5pm on Friday April 17 2015.
