An e-mail has been sent out from the Kingsgrove Community team, aka St. Modwen as master developer, regarding the upcoming works on the A417 / Elder Way junction and, separately, the footpath from Charlton to the woodland walk.
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ACS will be conducting road resurfacing works for the ensuing Bus Gate, beginning Monday 23 October along the Reading Road / Elder Way / Scantlebury Way junction by Kingsgrove. This will require the Elder Way junction to be closed overnight from 9:00 PM to 6:00 AM with no access to the Kingsgrove Site via this entrance and is expected to conclude on Friday 27 October.
During the restricted hours, Wantage Eastern Link Road 1 (WELR1) will temporarily serve as an access-only road into the development. It’s important to be aware that the footpath on WELR 1 will remain inaccessible throughout the entire duration of the roadworks, while the carriageway will remain open for use. Additionally, please note that once the roadworks are finished, WELR 1 will return to its previous closed status, until an official opening date is set.
Once the Bus Gate resurfacing works are complete, the road will state ‘Bus Gate only, no access’. However, until WELR1 is officially open, the Elder Way entrance is still the only access into the Kingsgrove estate. Vehicles will not be fined for using this entrance during this time.
[FUN FACTS] The following text refers to the footpath being called “Gypsy Lane”. In actual fact, according to the Ordnance Survey maps, it is known as Crabhill Lane. The term “BOAT” means “Byway open to all traffic”, which is also incorrect in this case. The path has now been downgraded to a “bridleway”, meaning that powered vehicles, including motorbikes, are not allowed to use it. Appropriate signage to reflect this change is being planned.
From Wednesday 25 October 2023, there will be a partial closure of the Gypsy Lane BOAT to facilitate the construction of WELR 3 by Oxfordshire County Council, with an expected completion date on Sunday 30 June 2024. Vale of White Horse District Council will provide signage to indicate an alternative route. These works aren’t anticipated to restrict access to Kingsgrove’s Woodland Walk. The proposed diversions can be seen above.
If you have any questions or concerns regarding these road closures, please do not hesitate to contact community@kingsgrovewantage.co.uk.
Prior to this e-mail being sent out I didn’t have both maps. As a result, I may have unintentionally misled people into thinking that the “main footpath” was never going to close. This e-mail shows that it will close, but that the diversion is extremely small and shouldn’t impact on peoples enjoyment of the area very much at all. I apologise for this error.
