TOWN and parish leaders are concerned that vital infrastructure will not be in place before thousands of homes are built in and around Didcot.

Didcot's Garden Town status has been criticised by councillors who fear that schools, roads and sewage works will only be built after the 15,000 homes in the programme.

The Government official made Didcot a Garden Town in December 2015, meaning the strain on local services from thousands of new homes would be offset by a series of major investments in infrastructure, such as a £12m northern perimeter road and a £43m bridge over the railway from the power station into Great Western Park.

But Didcot Town Council leader Bill Service said this week: "Whilst I remain positive about what a fantastic opportunity for the town and surrounding parishes it is, it is going to take 20 years before the houses are built and it will be another 20 years before the roads are started on and we really do not think that is acceptable."

Although work is well underway for a new secondary school at Great Western Park, councillors feel such facilities need to be built before people move to the town.

Last Monday parish, town and county councillors were invited to a meeting where consultants on the programme explained how, over the next 15 years, the town will see 20,000 new jobs in Didcot, a £90m revamp of Didcot Parkway rail station and a £43m bridge linking the power station and Great Western Park.

Oxfordshire County Councillor for Didcot Nick Hards said: "I thought the event as a whole was very poor.

"It was basically four different firms of consultants talking at us and they seemed to have missed the point.

"The only person who said anything sensible was Bill Service, who made the point that everyone appreciates these homes need to be built but before they are completed we need to have the roads, sewers, the schools to go with them.

"I would add to that list and say we need a medical centre as well, there is an awful lot of things we need and I think we just need to keep the pressure on."

A public consultation will be held in November, date yet to be confirmed, which will give residents a chance to have their say on the town's future.

South Oxfordshire District Council leader John Cotton said: "The Garden Town project is an exciting opportunity for Didcot which will benefit everyone.

"New homes and jobs will be supported by better infrastructure – from well-planned streets to enhanced internet connections – which will make Didcot a more pleasant place to live and work.

"Our focus now is on establishing this vision so we can move on to a swift delivery."