A TWO decade campaign by villagers and councillors for a bypass between Harwell and Didcot looks set for a happy ending.

The hard work appears to have paid off as it has been revealed work could start on the £11.65m Harwell Link Road as early as September.

When built, the road will reduce the amount of traffic which goes through the village and has been a personal campaign for many residents.

County councillor Stewart Lilly said getting the bypass was one of his main objectives when he took up his post in 2009.

He said: "I am delighted.

"It was what I originally stood as a councillor for and to achieve it, from my point of view, it is a personal goal I have worked very hard for.

"Harwell has been waiting for a long time, more than 20 years for this.

"Hopefully work will be starting on the road in late September or at the very latest early October."

The scheme has been designed to increase the capacity of the local road network, cutting traffic through Harwell by approximately 250 trips per hour.

With contractors Galliford Try Ltd now on board, Mr Lilly believes it can be finished within 12 to 14 months.

He added: "Harwell village is a major rat run. It has been suffering from a lot of through traffic for many years.

"The bottom line is that all the relevant landowners are on board.

"We have managed to get appropriate funding and I think it is the best news the village has had for a long while."

The new link road will be on land between the B4493 and the A417 to the east of Harwell and south west of Didcot, running alongside the A34.

In the scheme there are plans for roundabout junctions with the B4493 and A417, a diversion of 'The Driftway' bridleway along the eastern edge of the new link road, a new Pegasus signalised crossing on the B4493 and the provision of a footway along the full length of the link road.

The length of the new link road would be 1,100 metres.

Planning permission was originally granted in April 2015.

Chairman of Harwell Parish Council, David Marsh said he welcomed the news "wholeheartedly".

He said: "We have been lobbying for this for a long time, ever since I have been on the parish council which is at least 10 years.

"It is going to help the through traffic that leaves Didcot and is heading west to Wantage or Southern Oxfordshire.

"It will no longer have to come through Harwell village and it is not so much about the existing traffic.

"It is more the planned expansions of Great Western Park, Valley Park and now the plans of 1880 homes to the land north east of Didcot."

Vale of White Horse district council approved the 4,000 home development at Valley Park earlier this year.

The link road will also help improve connectivity in the Science Vale Enterprise Zone.

Mr Marsh added: "That is obviously one of our main concerns with these new developments is all the traffic which is going to come through the village.

"But with the link road, we're hoping it is going to relieve some pressure on the village."