Mr. Jacksonasked the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for the New Forest (Mr. McNair-Wilson) on 4 July, Official Report, c. 34, when a programme of specific bypasses, diversions and relief road schemes to follow on from those now under construction or in preparation will be brought forward; and if he will list the historic towns and villages within the county of Oxfordshire which still await relief from significant through traffic.
§ Mrs. ChalkerAs a result of the most recent review of the trunk road construction programme on 12 May 1983 —[Offical Report, Vol. 42, c. 439–440]—13 specific bypasses, including bypasses for the historic towns of Nantwich and Bedford, were added to the future construction programme. We have no plans to add further schemes at present, although the position is being kept under continuous review.
In Oxfordshire the only historic towns on or close to trunk roads without a bypass and for which no bypass is currently planned in the road programme are Henly-onThames, which has already benefited substantially from the M4 and M40 motorways, and Burford where the main through road is a county council responsibility. The only similar towns on local authority roads are Chipping Norton and Wantage. There is a protected line for a local authority inner relief road for the latter.