Huge £32million car park which has been empty for two years has opening delayed AGAIN as road linking to it is still not finished

The opening of a £32million park and ride in Eynsham, Oxfordshire, has been delayed for another year because the access road connecting it to the A40 still has not been built. The 850-space site was completed in 2024 but has stood empty ever since, prompting local residents to brand it an "embarrassing" and costly "white elephant", while a Conservative councillor has accused the Lib Dem-run Oxfordshire County Council of poor project management.

The 19-acre facility was originally due to be operational by 2027, but the council has now pushed the opening back to early summer 2028, with the wider project not expected to finish until 2029. The scheme was previously halted for two years from 2022 due to inflation-related cost pressures, and planning permission for the access road was only secured in June, with construction due to begin this autumn. Meanwhile, security, lighting and fencing at the unused site are reportedly costing around £9,531.50 a month, though the council says these costs are covered by the construction contract.