Garden Town bringing social and environmental benefits to Didcot
The Didcot Garden Town programme is bringing exciting new developments with a strong focus on enhancing community wellbeing and improving the local environment in Didcot and its surrounding areas.
Didcot is set to benefit from a new ‘wayfinding’ scheme to help residents and visitors find their way to sites of interest and access amenities and spaces around the Garden Town.
Significant steps are being taken to improve Didcot’s green spaces, with a nature trail already completed by the South and Vale Active Communities team in southeast Didcot.
£500,000 has been allocated to implement four green spaces which is expected to start in early 2026, with the initial focus on Ladygrove and Station Road. The project aims to improve the town’s appearance by making it greener, healthier and more connected, helping to enhance accessibility, inclusivity and biodiversity.
The community-led ‘Healthy Didcot’ programme is working with local agencies, including the voluntary and community sector, to address health inequalities. This programme is particularly focused on south and west Didcot, where a Community Insight Report identified the highest levels of health and wellbeing concerns.
The initiative includes efforts to enhance support for families with children and young people addressing complex needs and improving access to services, helping to address anti-social, educational and skills-related issues. The programme is working to increase resident employability through targeted skills development and enhanced access to opportunities, including exploring apprenticeship. Further funding has been obtained through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) to help improve health outcomes in Didcot this financial year, which will be used to help kick-start the action plan, with support from local partners.
Didcot Town Council are a key part of significant work encouraging local organisations to get involved with summer holiday events and activities. Together we are fostering a vibrant and cohesive community through cultural initiatives.
Officers are currently implementing public arts projects across the town to support regeneration, placemaking and community safety. Improvements for connections to Cow Lane and the station are progressing with a creative lighting project, thanks to funding secured through Great Western Rail and UKSPF. The councils’ Active Communities team are also supporting local grassroots sports groups and promoting physical health.
Cllr Tony Worgan, Cabinet Member for Economic Development and Regeneration, at South Oxfordshire District Council, said: “Healthy communities are at the heart of our vision for Didcot. We’re tackling inequality by ensuring every resident has access to support, green space and opportunity—no matter their postcode. Our aim is to make Didcot a greener, healthier and more inclusive place to live.
“Our strong focus on fostering community connections will help to reduce loneliness and isolation, bringing people together beyond digital platforms to build a positive community spirit and publicise existing groups and activities.”
Cllr Helen Pighills, Cabinet Member for Community Health and Wellbeing at Vale of White Horse District Council, said: “Didcot Garden Town is as much about growing strong community ties as it is about physical infrastructure—arts, culture and connection are how we thrive together, so we’re very pleased to see so much more happening in and around the town that’s bringing people together.”
The recommendations in the report align with South Oxfordshire and Vale of White Horse District Councils’ strategic priorities, such as action on climate change and nature recovery, providing healthy, sustainable and inclusive communities, and delivering homes and infrastructure that meet local needs.
The Didcot Garden Town Programme update and review was approved at South Oxfordshire District Council Cabinet on Thursday 24 July and Vale of White Horse District Council this morning (Friday 25 July). The reports are available on the South Cabinet webpage.
