A public right of way linking Old Headington with Barton will be inaccessible to pedestrians for close to a year while the concluding phase of the extensive Barton Park housing development gets underway.

Barton Park consists of 885 dwellings and building work started in 2015.

The project includes a new primary school, commercial premises suitable for a small supermarket, children’s play facilities, a fresh entry point onto the A40 and a sports pavilion, all delivered by Barton LLP – a collaboration between Oxford City Council and the Grosvenor development company.

Earlier projections indicated completion by 2027.

This final phase requires an historic footpath between Old Headington and Elsfield, running through the centre of the development from south to north, to be shut for just under eleven months.

A temporary traffic order notice published by Oxfordshire County Council stated the footpath would be closed from Monday, March 23 until February 3 the following year.

According to the notice, the order was introduced because of necessary safety measures for the nearby housing construction and was anticipated to be completed on February 3, 2027. The notice explained that the effect of the order would be to close temporarily part of the footpath.

A substitute route has been signposted via Fields Road, southwards across the A40 North Way and eastwards along the path alongside the A40.