None.

Recommendation: That Cabinet resolves to approve the minutes of the meeting held on 09 July 2025 as a true and accurate record.

Cabinet resolved to approve the minutes of the meeting held on 09 July 2025 as a true and accurate record.

An address to Cabinet was given by Dan Glazebrook, a representative of the Friends of Grandpont Nature Park group:

Almost 2000 people, the vast majority of them local residents, have now signed the petition against Oxpens River Bridge and its connecting paths. There are many reasons people are up in arms - the ecological destruction involved, the lack of democratic consultation, the fact that there are already two excellent pedestrian and cycle bridges within quarter of a mile of the site, the misuse of £10million of public money intended to facilitate affordable housing - but what I want to focus on today is how the bridge singularly fails to meet its own intended purpose - to provide a floodproof connection from Osney Mead to Oxpens. 

So the local plan specifies the need for both a new bridge linking Osney Mead to the other side of the river, and a floodproof route out of Osney Mead. These two things have subsequently been combined into plans for a single floodproof connection reaching all the way from Osney Mead across the river, as is made clear in several official documents. 

The problem is, to reach the bridge from Osney Mead, users would have to go across a stream and under a railway bridge along a section of the towpath that frequently floods. 

To solve this problem, the City Council commissioned Stantec to develop a project called Osney Pathworks, to create a new floodproof path linking Osney Mead to the planned new bridge. The preferred plan was to erect floodwalls under the railway bridge. But the Environment Agency vetoed this proposal in 2021, as it would cause further flooding elsewhere. Stantec’s report admitted there is no solution currently available which adequately addresses the flooding issue whilst also meeting current safety standards for cycling and walking. This remains the case today.

This makes the bridge completely redundant, as it utterly fails to provide the new floodproof connection from Osney Mead across the river without which housing cannot be built on the site and which was the whole point of the project in the first place. 

The City Council is now right on the verge of committing up to £14million of public money, and causing irrevocable damage to a cherished piece of countryside on our doorstep, for a bridge that singularly fails to meet its basic purpose. We urge you - please do not be a party to this shocking waste of money and biodiversity. Surely no further funds should be committed so long as there remains no viable plan to floodproof the connection between Osney Mead and the new bridge. 

I would also like to address the issue of the University’s funding commitments to the scheme. A spokesman for the University told the Oxford Mail back in January that, the University, quote, “last year agreed to make a contribution of around 10 per cent of the cost of the new bridge after learning that cost increases had put its viability at risk.”

10% at that  ...  view the full minutes text for item 34.

Councillor addresses relating to matters of business for this agenda, up to five minutes is available for each address.

The request should be received by the Director of Law, Governance and Strategy by 5.00 pm on Thursday, the 7^th of August 2025.

None.

None received.

None.

The Scrutiny Committee will meet on 5 August 2025 to consider the following items. Report and recommendations, including those from its working groups, from the meeting will be published as a late supplement.

• Oxpens River Bridge Update
• Local Plan 2042 Climate change and resilience
• Annual Air Quality Status Report

The Scrutiny Committee met on 5 August 2025 and reviewed the Oxpens River Bridge Update. The Climate and Environment Working Group met on 22 July 2025 to consider the Net Zero Tracker, the Local Plan 2042 Climate Change and Resilience, and the Annual Air Quality Status Report. Councillor Alex Powell noted that there were not recommendations arising from the Working Group regarding the Net Zero Tracker.

Councillor Alex Powell presented the Scrutiny Committee’s discussions and recommendations regarding the Oxpens River Bridge Update. He noted that the Committee discussed possible impacts, risks, and the likelihood of further delays.

-       Recommendation: That Cabinet undertake high-level remodelling and assess potential impact of the judicial review appeal progressing to a hearing, particularly around timescales and future costings, to ensure the Council is better prepared and has a more informed basis for decision.

Councillor Hollingsworth responded to the recommendations from Scrutiny and said that Cabinet had agreed the recommendation from Scrutiny.

Councillor Alex Powell presented the Climate and Environment Working Group’s discussions and recommendations relating to the Local Plan 2042 Climate Change and Resilience. He noted that the Working Group emphasised the need to integrate building cooling systems into building plans moving forward.

-       Recommendation 1: That the Local Plan 2042 include clearer support for renewable energy schemes, particularly the potential for solar panel installations on terraced houses through community-led energy schemes.

-       Recommendation 2: That there is greater robustness demonstrated in the Local Plan 2042 supporting text acknowledging the urgency of climate action when balancing the need to address climate emergency through retrofitting heritage buildings to support decarbonisation against the need to minimise harm to heritage assets.

-       Recommendation 3: That the Plan explicitly references the potential use of energy offsetting funds from developers for retrofit improvements to schools and community buildings, recognising the wider public benefit of public buildings rather than individual residential buildings, and criteria applied to the allocation of these funds prioritises maximum community impact.

-       Recommendation 4: That there is specific language acknowledging the potential for loss and damage associated with new and existing properties in areas of high flood risk, and that local plan policies ensure applicants take account of these potential impacts in future planning and climate resilience design features to minimise possible damage (e.g. positioning of plugs, use of specific materials on the ground floor that can cope with flood damage).

Councillor Alex Powell presented the Climate and Environment Working Group’s discussions and recommendations relating to the Annual Air Quality Status Report.

-       Recommendation: That the Air Quality Action Plan incorporates specific measures addressing the use of diesel generators associated with street trading, construction and similar activities, reflecting the Council’s regulatory responsibilities in relation to street trading and seek to reduce air quality impacts.

Councillor Hollingsworth provided the Cabinet responses to the recommendations from the Climate and Environment Working Group regarding the Local Plan 2042. Generally, he said that they would agree with most of the recommendations regarding the Local Plan 2042. He noted that there  ...  view the full minutes text for item 38.

The Deputy Chief Executive - Place submitted a report to Cabinet to request that Cabinet agree to the virement of underspend in the current capital programme to increase the project budget in the capital programme for the Oxpens bridge; to accept additional funding for the construction of the bridge from external bodies, and to agree to amending and entering legal agreements as necessary for the funding, construction and transfer of the bridge.  

Cabinet is recommended to:

1.    Delegate authority to the Deputy Chief Executive - Place, in consultation with the Council’s Group Finance Director (Section 151 Officer), the Director of Law Governance and Strategy (Monitoring Officer) and the Cabinet Member for Planning and Culture to enter into legal agreements, or amend legal agreements, to secure the additional external funds required to meet the £3.7 m needed to deliver the Oxpens River Bridge and to enter an amended agreement with Oxfordshire County Council to enable the Growth Deal funding to be spent in 26/27

2.    To approve the increase in the budget for the project within in the capital programme for the Oxpens River Bridge project by £3.7 m from £10.3m to £14.00m through the virement of underspend within the capital programme 2025/26.

3.    Delegate authority to the Deputy Chief Executive - Place, in consultation with the Council’s Group Finance Director (Section 151 Officer), the Director of Law Governance and Strategy (Monitoring Officer) and the Cabinet Member for Planning and Culture to enter into a construction contract and any necessary ancillary contracts for the delivery of the bridge, subject to the necessary funds being in place.

4.    Delegate authority to the Deputy Chief Executive - Place, in consultation with the Council’s Group Finance Director (Section 151 Officer), the Director of Law Governance and Strategy (Monitoring Officer) and the Cabinet Member for Planning and Culture, to approve the transfer of the bridge to Oxfordshire County Council on completion.

Cabinet resolved to:

1. Delegate authority to the Deputy Chief Executive - Place, in consultation with the Council’s Group Finance Director (Section 151 Officer), the Director of Law Governance and Strategy (Monitoring Officer) and the Cabinet Member for Planning and Culture to enter into legal agreements, or amend legal agreements, to secure the additional external funds required to meet the £3.7 m needed to deliver the Oxpens River Bridge and to enter an amended agreement with Oxfordshire County Council to enable the Growth Deal funding to be spent in 26/27
2. To approve the increase in the budget for the project within in the capital programme for the Oxpens River Bridge project by £3.7 m from £10.3m to £14.00m through the virement of underspend within the capital programme 2025/26.
3. Delegate authority to the Deputy Chief Executive - Place, in consultation with the Council’s Group Finance Director (Section 151 Officer), the Director of Law Governance and Strategy (Monitoring Officer) and the Cabinet Member for Planning and Culture to enter into a construction contract and any necessary ancillary contracts for the delivery of the bridge, subject to the necessary funds being in place.
4. Delegate authority to the Deputy Chief Executive - Place, in consultation with the Council’s Group Finance Director (Section 151 Officer), the Director of Law Governance and Strategy (Monitoring Officer) and the Cabinet Member for Planning and Culture, to approve the transfer of the bridge to Oxfordshire County Council on completion.

The Deputy Chief Executive – Place had submitted a report to Cabinet to request that Cabinet agree to the virement of underspend in the current capital programme to increase the project budget in the capital programme for the Oxpens bridge; to accept additional funding for the construction of the bridge from external bodies, and to agree to amending and entering legal agreements as necessary for the funding, construction and transfer of the bridge.  

Councillor Hollingsworth presented the report. He highlighted key elements of the report, including the fact that the bridge had been in many different policy plans, adopted through public consultation, for about twenty years. He emphasised that the first recommendation requests delegated authority to seek external funds to support this project. Clarifying the original funding for the bridge, he said it had come from central government, the County Council was accountable for the funds, and that the City Council had taken responsibility for the delivery. He noted that if the Council decided not to proceed with this, they would have to return residual money not spent on the program to central government and could not spend the money on a different program.

Jenny Barker, the Regeneration and Development Lead, highlighted the work which had been done in the planning and approvals process for this project. She said that their timing was key and that to deliver the bridge, construction needed to take place when land is at its driest. She noted that they had agreed with the EA to do the construction in September. Responding to Scrutiny, regarding the impacts of further delays, she said that their team had concluded that further delay would move construction back to 2027. With inflationary rises in costs, this would cause an increase in the total cost of the project, between 600k and 1 million.

Councillor Munkonge thanked the team for their work on this report and said that he supported this project. He thanked Councillor Hollingsworth for the background he had provided. He emphasised that he supported the report’s aim to seek external funds first, as a way of funding the project.

Councillor Railton discussed the difficulties with alternative cycle path options in this area and how these challenges necessitated the purpose-built bridge being proposed in this project. She expressed her support for the report and the project.

Councillor Brown acknowledged the issues that had been raised and highlighted that they were there today to approve the latest round of funding for the bridge. She acknowledged the possibility of legal proceedings delaying the project and increasing costs but noted that they needed to take action accordingly. She said that she supported the report and the project.

Councillor Hollingsworth provided a summary of the report. He emphasised the third recommendation and noted that they did not yet have a contract for construction of the bridge. 

Cabinet resolved to:

1. Delegate authority to the Deputy Chief Executive - Place, in consultation with the Council’s Group Finance Director (Section 151 Officer), the Director of Law  ...  view the full minutes text for item 39.

Meetings are scheduled for the following dates:

·       17 September 2025

·       22 October 2025

·       19 November 2025

·       10 December 2025

All meetings start at 6.00 pm.

Cabinet noted the dates of future meetings.

If Cabinet wishes to exclude the press and the public from the meeting during consideration of any of the items on the exempt from publication part of the agenda, it will be necessary for Cabinet to pass a resolution in accordance with the provisions of Paragraph 4(2)(b) of the Local Authorities (Executive Arrangements) (Access to Information) (England) Regulations 2012 on the grounds that their presence could involve the likely disclosure of exempt information as described in specific paragraphs of Schedule 12A of the Local Government Act 1972.

Cabinet may maintain the exemption if and so long as, in all the circumstances of the case, the public interest in maintaining the exemption outweighs the public interest in disclosing the information.