Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

We have received an active travel grant from the UK government to invest in making enhancements to Witney High Street and Market Square that complement existing traffic restrictions and benefit walking, wheeling, cycling and public transport opportunities.

The project is intended to:

• Enhance public spaces while protecting the town’s history and character
• Support local businesses and the markets
• Make it easier and more enjoyable to walk, wheel and cycle
• Upgrade access to public transport
• Improve safety for all users

Funding for this scheme has been awarded to:

• Encourage walking, wheeling, cycling and public transport 
• Rationalise existing space for taxis and on-street parking
• Improve the road layouts at the junctions of High Street/Welch Way and Market Square/Corn Street to support the existing traffic restriction
• Implement public realm enhancements

The Oxfordshire Local Transport and Connectivity Plan aims to reduce the need for individual private car journeys, and make walking, cycling, public and shared transport the natural first choice. It has ambitious targets including: to reduce one in four car trips by 2030, to deliver a net-zero transport network by 2040, and to stop road fatalities and life changing injuries by 2050. Investment in active travel will help us achieve these targets.

The terms ‘pedestrians, wheelers and cyclists’ who ‘walk, wheel and cycle’ have been designed to include those who depend on non-motorised or low speed wheels. Examples include wheelchairs and mobility scooters.

In late 2021, Oxfordshire County Council decided the traffic restriction on Witney High Street and Market Square should remain. The project’s funding has been granted based on introducing measures that support and maintain the traffic restriction and therefore we are not proposing any changes to it in the designs.

Last year our community engagement exercises identified several priorities to be taken forward in the designs. These exercises included workshops with councillors and local businesses, public information drop-in events, an informal survey and an online map. People also shared their thoughts and views with us by writing to us.

Based on the feedback received, we worked with consultants and officers at West Oxfordshire District Council and Witney Town Council to develop a concept design for the whole project area.

Using the funding that we have available, the key elements of the concept design have been selected to progress to the draft design that we are sharing in this consultation.

Outstanding elements of the concept designs that are not proposed for progression at the moment could be taken forward in future, subject to suitable funding being available. 

Before the traffic restriction was introduced there were six disabled persons parking places in the High Street and Market Square. Following the introduction of the traffic restriction, all the parking bays on the High Street and Market Square between Welch Way and Corn Street were available for disabled persons parking. 

We have monitored the level of use of the parking bays to determine need. We are now proposing a new pedestrian footway along the embankment wall to improve the walking environment for people with mobility issues; and to distribute disabled persons parking spaces more evenly to improve access to different shops and amenities. 

This would provide twelve disabled persons parking places spread across the High Street and Market Square which is an improvement on the provision of parking facilities before the traffic restriction was introduced.

The proposed yellow line waiting/loading restrictions and revised layout of parking and loading bays is necessary for us to reduce the carriageway (road) width and provide more footway space whilst still ensuring vehicles can pass up and down High Street and Market Square. 

We are proposing loading bays at locations where we have identified demand and for businesses that do not have rear vehicle access to their properties. Other businesses would be encouraged to use rear access to their properties more regularly, so that the new loading bays are used by those that need it most. 

We are investigating options for more flexible use of the available space in the project area to allow better opportunities for buses to wait between services. 

In Market Square, our parking surveys indicate that the taxi bays are rarely occupied during the mornings and afternoons, and it may be possible for buses to use some of that space during those times. As part of the public consultation, we will be speaking to both taxi and bus companies to explore the feasibility and practicality of those options.

We are not proposing to reduce the provision of taxi bays outside the Congregational Church/Halifax Building Society in Welch Way and those bays would be relocated only a short distance from their current position.

We would especially like people living or working in or near Witney, or regularly visiting the town to comment on our proposals by responding to our survey online or on paper, or by writing to us or speaking to us at the drop-in events. The survey questions are arranged to help people to comment on the different specific elements of the designs, so we can review and make further changes as necessary.

The aim is to enhance the High Street and Market Square as a place that people can access easily by walking, wheeling, cycling, public transport, or a short walk from one of the 1600 off-street car parking spaces that are distributed throughout Witney town centre. The intention is to enhance the street environment, for people to really enjoy spending time there, and stay longer. 

Actual construction works are anticipated to start early in 2025, and finish in summer 2025. We will seek to minimise disruption during the construction period as much as possible. Further information on delivery phasing and traffic management will be shared closer to the works starting.

We want to be sure we are using the money granted to deliver enhancements that will most benefit local people and we have taken extra time to complete the following stages:

Now that we are at a stage to propose our plans for changes to the High Street and Market Square we want to gather further comments  based on specific aspects of the designs to help us make sure that each aspect works the best it can for people. We will review the responses from this online survey and make any final design changes before approving plans for construction. 

Pre-construction tasks include detailed design, developing traffic management plans, agreeing the construction price, health and safety assessments and mobilising sub-contractors to begin work on street. 

The events will be held on the ground floor in the worship area at the Methodist church which is accessible by persons with mobility issues. If you are concerned about a specific access issue please do email witneyhighstreet@oxfordshire.gov.uk to discuss with us and we will do our best to help you enjoy the event.

In our community engagement last year, officers from the county council talked to local businesses and residents, councillors and other statutory groups. We have developed our designs in collaboration with officers from West Oxfordshire District Council and Witney Town Council. We will continue to take on the views of these groups throughout the public consultation period. 

Oxfordshire County Council has been awarded £1.98m from the UK Government’s Active Travel Fund to deliver the scheme.