Councillor says alternative route for power cable could have reduced traffic chaos
27/04/2026
A lack of capacity in Banbury means power is having to be laid on from Bloxham
A local councillor believes traffic chaos on the southern side of Banbury could have been avoided if an alternative route had been found for bringing power to a new housing estate that is about to be built.
The only spare capacity the National Grid has available for the planned 860 new homes at Longford Park is at the Ells Lane substation in Bloxham. Their contractor Power On has been engaged to install a 7km cable to bring the supply to the development on the southern side of Banbury.
Their chosen route will see excavations along the A361 from Bloxham to Wykham Lane, then to Bodicote. After that the cable will be laid along Broad Gap and down the Oxford Road.
The work is expected to be completed by next January and drivers will face traffic lights and road closures at various times during the ensuing months.
But Councillor Kieron Mallon is questioning why a less disruptive route wasn’t chosen and why Oxfordshire County Council didn’t intervene to limit the impact of the work.
Councillor Mallon suggested bringing the cable from Bloxham along Bloxham Grove and across the fields, which would have avoided the delays for drivers on main roads. He said: “[Oxfordshire County Council] has a duty to work with any utility company to plan works and to try to avoid disruption. Utility companies have to inform highways that they will undertake works.
“The utilities have the right to do basically what they want after informing the council but I hoped common sense would prevail and Bloxham, Banbury and Bodicote would get a reprieve from [Oxfordshire County Council] inspired traffic chaos. Common sense has not prevailed and the works will go ahead on the main roads from March to the end of August.”
Power On defended their choice of route. A spokesperson told Banbury FM: “Power On recognises the frustration caused by the current roadworks and the resulting traffic delays, and we sincerely apologise for the disruption to local residents and road users.
“The route being used was carefully selected following extensive planning and consultation with relevant stakeholders, with a strong emphasis on safety, technical feasibility, and long-term network reliability.
“While an alternative route has recently been suggested, it was not considered viable during the planning stage due to land access constraints and established industry practices regarding asset placement.
“At this stage in the project, making a significant change to the route would require substantial rework and lead to further delays and disruption for the community. Power On remains committed to completing the works as efficiently as possible and minimising inconvenience wherever we can.
“We appreciate the community’s patience and will continue to keep stakeholders informed as the project progresses.”
Oxfordshire County Council declined to comment, believing it was a matter for the utility company, but Councillor Mallon noted had he not got involved the County Council had planned to completely resurface Wykham Lane just weeks before Power On would have dug it back up.
He said: “This is clearly in the ‘you couldn’t make it up’ category of council incompetence.
“I did manage to get [Oxfordshire County Council] to realise how stupid and what a waste of council tax it would be if they didn’t reschedule its resurfacing works on the Wykham Lane. This they have now done.”
Published: by the Banbury FM News Team
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