Side road order (SRO) and compulsory purchase order (CPO) for the Didcot and surrounding area infrastructure improvements

The council is now in the process of implementing compulsory purchase powers where necessary to ensure the timely delivery of the scheme. Information packs, including implementation documentation and statutory notices, will be sent to landowners and affected parties as and when the scheme requires. We are continuing to engage with affected parties.

The Secretary of State for Transport confirmed three legal Orders for the Didcot and surrounding area infrastructure scheme. These were confirmed on 30 June 2025, following a Public Inquiry held between February and May 2024.

The Compulsory Purchase Order (CPO) and Side Roads Order (SRO) were confirmed with modifications
The Bridge Scheme was confirmed as made

You can read the Inspector’s Report and the Secretary of State’s decision letters below:

Inspector’s Report

The Inspector’s Report (pdf format, 800KB)

Secretary of State’s Decision Letter

Secretary of State’s Decision Letter (pdf format, 167KB)

Annexures

The Annexures document all of the modifications that were sought to the Orders:

All affected parties have received relevant information relating to the CPO, SRO and Bridge Scheme as it impacts them, and statutory notices placed on site and in the local newspapers

Statutory notices

Statutory notices were served, and the period for challenging the Secretary of State’s decision has now expired.

What the confirmed Orders allow us to do

The confirmed orders give us legal powers to:

change existing roads and junctions
build and maintain new roads and/or junctions
change side roads and private access to properties

The CPO allows us to buy land or property, or to create new rights over land, where needed, in order to deliver the scheme.

Buying land and rights

We're working to reach private agreements with affected parties wherever possible.

If we can't reach an agreement, we have the legal ability to use compulsory purchase powers to buy the land or other rights we need. These powers can be used until 29 July 2028.

Using the CPO is a last resort, wherever possible. We are continuing to negotiate with affected parties and other key stakeholders.

General Vesting Declarations

A general vesting declaration (GVD) is a formal legal document that allows the council to acquire land by compulsory purchase, transferring ownership by a specific date, known as a ‘vesting date’. It sets out the interests in or rights over land that it will acquire and can identify multiple plots of land.

Notices are served on landowners and other interested parties and are posted on the affected land for a statutory period before possession of the land can be taken (a minimum of three months).

Once the notice period ends, the title to the land automatically transfers to the acquiring authority on the "vesting date". Due to the size of the scheme, the council will be using multiple GVDs, many of which will have different “vesting dates”. The council will notify all parties served with a GVD(s) of the date on which title to the land will transfer to the council.

General Arrangement Plans

Confirmed Modified Side Roads Order and plans

Confirmed Modified Compulsory Purchase Order and plans (CPO)

Confirmed Bridge Scheme

Public Inquiry

Following the conjoined planning and Orders (compulsory purchase order, side roads order, and bridge scheme) Public Inquiry between February and May 2024, the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government granted planning approval for the scheme in December 2024.

The Secretary of State for Transport confirmed the Orders in June 2025.

Recordings of the sessions and historical core documents relating to the Inquiry can be found on the planning portal.

Contact us

If you have any queries, please contact the delivery team

Accessibility

Some of the documents on this page may not be accessible. Contact the delivery team for an alternative format.