Grove Northern Link Road
The Grove Northern Link Road is a planned road across the north of Grove, which the Local Plan describes as “an important connection between Grove Airfield and the A338”. Its purpose is to give the new neighbourhoods on the west and north of the village a direct route to the A338 towards Wantage, Frilford and Abingdon, so that their traffic does not have to use Grove’s older residential streets.
How it is being delivered
Unlike King Alfred Way in Wantage, there is no single county council contract for this road. It is being built in pieces as part of the housing developments it serves.
- Monks Farm: the April 2021 permission for 400 homes (P16/V0981/O) includes a Section 106 obligation to deliver a section of the road. The county’s highway officers referred to “the new Grove Northern Link Road” when commenting on the neighbouring site in 2025.
- North West of Grove: the draft Joint Local Plan makes “completion of the Grove Northern Link Road” a requirement of this site. The council’s land supply statement notes that some of the land needed for a section of the road is within it.
This means the full route depends on North West of Grove getting permission and being built. On the council’s current forecasts, building there would not start until the late 2020s.
Why it was planned
The Vale Local Plan 2031, adopted in 2016, listed the road alongside the Wantage Eastern Link Road as one of the highway schemes needed for the planned growth at Wantage and Grove. Local Plan Part 2 allocated North West of Grove partly to help pay for and complete it. The draft Joint Local Plan 2041 carries the requirement forward.
By the numbers
- 2 developments sharing the job of building it
- Cost: listed as “to be confirmed” in the 2024 Infrastructure Delivery Plan
What it means locally
When complete, the road should take traffic from about 3,000 new homes at Grove Airfield, Monks Farm and North West of Grove off roads such as Denchworth Road and Main Street. It is also meant to carry walking and cycling links and, eventually, bus routes connecting the three estates.
How to follow it
Progress depends on the Monks Farm and North West of Grove applications (P16/V0981/O and P20/V3113/O), which can be looked up on the Vale of White Horse planning register.