Oxford United must ‘commit’ to keeping key road open, council insists

The club announced last week it submitted its planning application to Cherwell District CouncilĀ for the construction of a 16,000-capacity ground at The Triangle near the Kidlington Roundabout.

However, the existing plans do not have a pedestrian bridge over Oxford Road, a key route that runs from Kidlington to North Oxford and past Oxford Parkway station.

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thisisoxfordshire: The TriangleĆ¢ā‚¬ā„¢ was agreed to be leased by Oxfordshire County Council to Oxford United for its new

Oxford Road could be closed for an hour before a match and up to two hours afterwards, the club’s plans suggest.

An Oxfordshire County Council spokesmanĀ said: ā€œWe welcome the progress being made by Oxford United Football ClubĀ in designing a new stadium.

ā€œThe lease of the land by the county council to the club remains dependent on the club meeting the conditions laid out by the cabinet in October 2023.

ā€œAmong other things, this requires the club to commit to access arrangements that maintain traffic movement on Oxford Road, which may require a footbridge.

ā€œThe club must also provide both maintenance and financial support for the Stratfield Brake sports pitches, including football, cricket, rugby and running and provide a useable and publicly accessible green space to the north of the site to maintain the green gap between Kidlington and Oxford.

ā€œThese conditions are separate to the requirement for the club to get planning permission for any structures it wants to build on county council owned land.

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thisisoxfordshire: Oxford United have published new images of what the clubĆ¢ā‚¬ā„¢s proposed stadium at The Triangle could

ā€œThe county council will respond to the planning application in its role as a statutory consultee.

ā€œIt is important that the club, supporters and other members of the public are aware that the county councilā€™s position is unchanged.Ā 

ā€œIt is up to the club to ensure that it can meet these minimum requirements as well as obtaining planning permission from Cherwell District Council for the stadium and for any other buildings and infrastructure that requires planning consent.ā€

This comes after a Freedom of Information request shared with the Oxford Mail stated the authority would not support any plans which included the closure of Oxford Road on matchdays.

The club hasĀ confirmed it is undertaking a planning application process to build a bridge over the road from the station.

Oxford United is looking to build a new home as the clubā€™s licence agreement at the Kassam Stadium runs out in 2026.

The design includes a 180-bed hotel, restaurant, conference and event space, along with a health and wellbeing centre.

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