AN EYESORE of a flyover in Littlemore could be spruced up under a community art project.

Littlemore Parish Council vicechairman David Henwood wants to launch a volunteer-led scheme to paint murals on the underside of the flyover for the Eastern Bypass above Cowley Road.

It is hoped the project would give the area a more welcoming feel and would help tackle antisocial behaviour and graffiti.

Mr Henwood said: “Recently things have been bad there. When areas are not maintained they invite antisocial behaviour.

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"We have had graffiti and groups of people drinking there in the past and, historically, there has been a lot of antisocial behaviour there.

“It is dark and an appalling place to walk through if you are a young mother or a child.

“I think an art project would make a real difference to this part of Littlemore.

“Making the area nicer would help drive antisocial behaviour away.”

In January, the design for an art project at the other end of Cowley Road, at the junction with Oxford Road, was unveiled.

The canopy – which is designed to look like a tree – will have murals painted on it which represent periods in Littlemore’s history, such as the First World War and the influence of agriculture.

Artist Josh Rose worked with students at John Henry Newman Academy to come up with prototype designs for the project last summer.

And Mr Henwood said this had inspired his plans for a similar project at the other end of Cowley Road.

He said: “I am going to talk to the parish council and Oxfordshire County Council [which is responsible for the upkeep of the flyover] and see if the county council wants to get involved or not.

“I then plan to get in touch with the Oxford Academy and other schools in the area and get them involved.

“We would use recycled paint from people’s garages so it would be very low cost.

“I think we could do it more cost effectively than if the county council did it themselves.”

Mr Henwood added: “The flyover is the ugliest part of Littlemore.

It is definitely the ugly duckling of the area.

“We want to send a message to other areas that it is a nice place to live.”

But one Cowley Road resident said he had some concerns about the project.

Tom Bowers, who has lived in the road for 27 years, said: “The flyover does not particularly bother me now.

“I would just be wary about other people looking at the art and thinking it would be a good place to do graffiti.

“It is the sort of thing at the moment I do not really notice anyway.”