Watlington Relief Road
A scheme to provide an alternative route and direct access to the B4009 either side of Watlington, without the need to travel through the historic and narrow town centre.
About the improvements
The Watlington Relief Road will run from the western side of Watlington on the B4009, looping northwards and connecting back to the B4009 on the eastern side of the town.
The relief road aims to connect a series of existing and proposed developments around the northern and western sides of Watlington, with some sections being delivered by developers and some directly by Oxfordshire County Council.
Why we are investing here
A corridor for the relief road was previously identified and adopted in the Watlington Neighbourhood Development Plan. It was also designated as a ‘safeguarded route’ in the South Oxfordshire Local Plan 2035 in 2020.
The aim of the scheme is to alleviate congestion, noise and air pollution in the town centre, provide access to new housing developments and facilitate travel by more sustainable modes of transport (including cycling and walking).
What you can expect
The relief road will feature:
- two roundabouts
- one T-junction
- a number of shared-use crossings, and
- walking and cycling infrastructure to support active travel.
The county council proposes to construct three sections between the housing developments:
- Revised alignment for the T-junction at Britwell Road / Harmans Way, providing priority for access on to the relief road.
- The section of the relief road between the Bloor Homes and Redrow Homes developments, including a new structure over Chalgrove Brook and a new roundabout at the junction with B480 Cuxham Road, as well as improvements to Chalgrove Brook.
- The eastern end of the relief road between the Redrow development, at Pyrton Lane, and the B4009 Shirburn Road including provision of the loop at Icknield Community College and a new roundabout at the junction with the B4009.
Bloor Homes and Redrow Homes are responsible for the sections of road that form part of their respective housing sites (shown in the image below).
Minimising the impact
We will coordinate the work to minimise the impact on the network as far as is reasonably practicable. Further details of this will be available prior to the start of construction.
Funding for the scheme
The county council’s elements of the scheme are being funded through a combination of Housing Growth Deal funding, Section 106 contributions from developers and county council funds.
In February 2025 , as part of the county council's budget-setting and business planning process, capital funding was allocated to schemes that improve our market towns. This includes the Watlington Relief Road scheme.
Next steps
A planning application (ref R3.0010/24).
The project is currently preparing some additional information to supplement the original planning application, which was submitted in December 2023. It is anticipated that this additional information will be submitted to the County Planning Authority in early 2026, followed by a period during which this supplementary information will be consulted on.
The county council is targeting the Planning Committee in spring 2026.
Contact us
If you would like to know more, you can contact us via email WRRproject@oxfordshire.gov.uk