Wantage Market Place

Share Wantage Market Place on Facebook Share Wantage Market Place on Twitter Share Wantage Market Place on Linkedin Email Wantage Market Place link

Welcome to the engagement page for the Wantage Market Place Improvements project.


About the project

We want your help to make Wantage Market Place more vibrant, welcoming and accessible for everyone.

This is your opportunity to enhance the historical charm of the market town whilst addressing the challenges of climate change to make it sustainable for many years to come.

Improving walking, wheeling, and public transport opportunities will make the space safer and healthier for all.

In 2024, Wantage Town Council and Oxfordshire County Council committed to exploring ways to make Market Place more accessible and safer for those with mobility issues.

Officers from the county council have been working with the local community to investigate how the space could be redesigned to make the town centre a better place to spend time for shopping, leisure, tourism and business.

Working with your community has shaped four key objectives for the Wantage Market Place Improvement Project:

  • Creating a Welcoming Space - Everyone should feel welcome and safe in Market Place. Making the area more accessible, and reducing the chances of conflict between pedestrians, cyclists and vehicles will promote a greater sense of community where people can spend time and engage with each other.
  • Enhancing the Environment - Adding more greenery increases biodiversity and reduces pollution as well providing shade and shelter. Making Market Place more accessible, would encourage more people to walk, wheel and cycle to the town centre.
  • Improving Public Transport Access - Reducing town centre traffic jams would make travelling to and from Market Place quicker, easier and more reliable. This should be improved since the opening of the new King Alfred Way.
  • Supporting Local Businesses and Economy - The creation of a vibrant social space to host various community activities would boost the local economy by attracting residents and tourists to Market Place. Local groups could use the space for more seasonal events, markets, street trading, dining and festivals.


Wantage Market Place West End

Since the pandemic, the West End of Market Place, between Alfred Street and Church Street, has been prioritised for pedestrians under temporary Traffic Regulation Orders.

This initiative, promoted by Wantage Town Council, provides outdoor seating and a safe, accessible route into Market Place from Mill Street. Oxfordshire County Council is considering making these changes permanent to maintain a traffic-free, accessible route and support local businesses with more certainty going forward.

What happens next

In the summer of 2025, a recommendation will be made to Oxfordshire County Council’s cabinet, where relevant councillors will discuss making the traffic regulation order for the West End permanent.

This order was consulted upon in Summer 2023 and changes have been made to the overall design to incorporate feedback from the public during that process.

Should a decision be made to continue with the West End traffic regulation order, then work can begin to design and develop plans to convert the existing tarmac space into a paved location, more fitting for the historic town centre location. The new space would be easier to use by those with mobility issues, families and businesses (including the market) wishing to trade outside.


Providing feedback

The project is at an early stage and a design is yet to be developed. We need your thoughts, feelings and suggestions to help shape the project designs and goals. We would like to find out what is important to the local community and how we can make it economically and environmentally useful for future years.

Our community engagement will run from 12 noon Tuesday 24 June to 11:59pm Tuesday 22 July 2025, during which you can view background information on the project, complete an online survey and leave comments on a digital map of the Wantage Market Place.

We are also holding two drop-in events where you can see the proposals in person and speak to the project team. Please see the Drop-in events section on this page for more details about dates, times and venues.

The Frequently asked questions (FAQs) section provides answers to common queries about the project.

If you, or anyone you know is unable to view the information online or visit our drop-in events, printed copies of the survey will also be available from the following locations:

  • Wantage Library, Stirlings Rd, Wantage OX12 7BB
  • The Beacon Centre, Portway, Wantage OX12 9BX
  • Oxfordshire County Council, County Hall, New Road, OX1 1ND 


What happens next

Your feedback will be used to develop a preliminary design and masterplan, which we will then present for further consultation early next year.

Welcome to the engagement page for the Wantage Market Place Improvements project.


About the project

We want your help to make Wantage Market Place more vibrant, welcoming and accessible for everyone.

This is your opportunity to enhance the historical charm of the market town whilst addressing the challenges of climate change to make it sustainable for many years to come.

Improving walking, wheeling, and public transport opportunities will make the space safer and healthier for all.

In 2024, Wantage Town Council and Oxfordshire County Council committed to exploring ways to make Market Place more accessible and safer for those with mobility issues.

Officers from the county council have been working with the local community to investigate how the space could be redesigned to make the town centre a better place to spend time for shopping, leisure, tourism and business.

Working with your community has shaped four key objectives for the Wantage Market Place Improvement Project:

  • Creating a Welcoming Space - Everyone should feel welcome and safe in Market Place. Making the area more accessible, and reducing the chances of conflict between pedestrians, cyclists and vehicles will promote a greater sense of community where people can spend time and engage with each other.
  • Enhancing the Environment - Adding more greenery increases biodiversity and reduces pollution as well providing shade and shelter. Making Market Place more accessible, would encourage more people to walk, wheel and cycle to the town centre.
  • Improving Public Transport Access - Reducing town centre traffic jams would make travelling to and from Market Place quicker, easier and more reliable. This should be improved since the opening of the new King Alfred Way.
  • Supporting Local Businesses and Economy - The creation of a vibrant social space to host various community activities would boost the local economy by attracting residents and tourists to Market Place. Local groups could use the space for more seasonal events, markets, street trading, dining and festivals.


Wantage Market Place West End

Since the pandemic, the West End of Market Place, between Alfred Street and Church Street, has been prioritised for pedestrians under temporary Traffic Regulation Orders.

This initiative, promoted by Wantage Town Council, provides outdoor seating and a safe, accessible route into Market Place from Mill Street. Oxfordshire County Council is considering making these changes permanent to maintain a traffic-free, accessible route and support local businesses with more certainty going forward.

What happens next

In the summer of 2025, a recommendation will be made to Oxfordshire County Council’s cabinet, where relevant councillors will discuss making the traffic regulation order for the West End permanent.

This order was consulted upon in Summer 2023 and changes have been made to the overall design to incorporate feedback from the public during that process.

Should a decision be made to continue with the West End traffic regulation order, then work can begin to design and develop plans to convert the existing tarmac space into a paved location, more fitting for the historic town centre location. The new space would be easier to use by those with mobility issues, families and businesses (including the market) wishing to trade outside.


Providing feedback

The project is at an early stage and a design is yet to be developed. We need your thoughts, feelings and suggestions to help shape the project designs and goals. We would like to find out what is important to the local community and how we can make it economically and environmentally useful for future years.

Our community engagement will run from 12 noon Tuesday 24 June to 11:59pm Tuesday 22 July 2025, during which you can view background information on the project, complete an online survey and leave comments on a digital map of the Wantage Market Place.

We are also holding two drop-in events where you can see the proposals in person and speak to the project team. Please see the Drop-in events section on this page for more details about dates, times and venues.

The Frequently asked questions (FAQs) section provides answers to common queries about the project.

If you, or anyone you know is unable to view the information online or visit our drop-in events, printed copies of the survey will also be available from the following locations:

  • Wantage Library, Stirlings Rd, Wantage OX12 7BB
  • The Beacon Centre, Portway, Wantage OX12 9BX
  • Oxfordshire County Council, County Hall, New Road, OX1 1ND 


What happens next

Your feedback will be used to develop a preliminary design and masterplan, which we will then present for further consultation early next year.

Page last updated: 25 Jun 2025, 01:27 PM