Oxford City Council has moved the long-delayed Oxpens River Bridge scheme forward after selecting Jacksons Civil Engineering Group as preferred contractor on the £14m project. The scheme is a key element of the council’s wider West End regeneration plans aimed at boosting sustainable transport and cutting car use. The scheme was also thrown back into uncertainty late last year when original contractor Balfour Beatty withdrew and forcast costs rose by over £3.7m. Protesters from the Friends of Grandpont Nature Park group gathered outside the city’s town hall this week after a last-ditch attempt by councillors to halt the scheme failed when a meeting overran. Campaigners continue to argue the £14m cost would be better spent on housing infrastructure, with critics branding the bridge a “white elephant” that will damage valued woodland.