Witney High Street and Market Square delivery

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About the scheme

Witney High Street and Market Square enhancements is a scheme to deliver public improvements that complement the town’s history and character, and help to improve the look and feel of Witney for everyone spending time in the town centre. It supports the existing traffic arrangement on Witney High Street and Market Square, and our objectives to make walking, wheeling and cycling easier and more pleasant for everyone.

Our aim for the project is to deliver a safer and more accessible High Street and Market Square featuring wider, higher quality footways and improved crossing points. The project will create a more welcoming public realm that encourages more people to visit and spend time in the town centre.

The scheme will provide:

  • new seating areas where people can sit and socialise.
  • new trees giving shelter and boosting air quality.
  • resurfacing approximately 2000m2 of existing footway and creating over 1000m2 of new footway space.
  • new footway areas which will support future wayfinding ambitions celebrating the town's heritage.
  • 10 marked disabled persons parking places.
  • flexible loading arrangements for businesses within the town centre.
  • a new, additional bus stop for community transport. Taxi access will be permitted in the shared space after 5pm on weekdays and after 2pm on Saturdays, with a 16m taxi bay provided at all times.
  • a new traffic priority arrangement for the High Street/Welch Way junction including a central island to support cyclists making right turns.


Construction

Construction for the Witney High Street and Market Square project is due to start in early May 2026 and the works are scheduled for completion in November (subject to weather conditions and other factors that are beyond the council's control).

The works will be completed in phases starting on the western side of the street, with traffic movements restricted to southbound only during this phase, with works then switching to the eastern side of the street when traffic will only be permitted northbound on the High Street and Market Square between the Corn Street and Welch Way junctions.

Most of the works will take place within the footway areas. Safe pedestrian and wheelchair/mobility-aided access will be maintained throughout the works and access will be provided to shops, food outlets and businesses.

While bus stop and taxi rank locations will be maintained when possible, during some phases of the works bus stops will need to be relocated to Langdale Gate and Welch Way with the taxi rank temporarily relocated outside The Angel Inn on Market Square.

During the works, there may be short periods where some loading and disabled persons' parking places on the High Street and by the Market Square may not be available. Appropriate areas for loading during each phase of the works will be communicated to businesses with regular updates provided. There is alternative parking for visitors and blue badge holders in the Woolgate car park accessed via Witan Way.

The contractor will have an on-site public liaison officer to communicate with business owners and residents throughout the construction stage.

If you run a business on the High Street or the Market Square in the scheme area, our contractor will be in touch with you to talk about your access needs during the works. You can speak to the public liaison officer for Galliford Try about any special access needs you may have for your place of business by emailing: witneyhighstreet@gallifordtry.co.uk.

Works will complete with the installation of automatic number plate recognition, or ANPR cameras. These will reduce the number of non-exempt motor vehicles going through the restrictions on the High Street and Market Square, and make it more pleasant for people to enjoy the town centre at their leisure without worrying about dodging traffic.

Signs will be added ahead of and just before entering the motor vehicle restriction area to make sure people know where the restriction is, and direct them to alternative parking and routes.

Shoppers can continue to park in the Woolgate car park near the Market Square and walk through the Woolgate Centre to the Market Square and High Street, and in Marriott's Walk and walk from Welch Way to the lower end of the High Street. A site compound for the works will be set up within Zone G of the Woolgate car park with long stay parking bays relocated to adjacent areas of the car park.


Background

The project began with a grant of £1.98m from the UK Government’s active travel fund - which provided money specifically to support active travel (walking, wheeling, cycling and buses) in the town centre.

In 2023 we asked local people and businesses to help us design a plan for making enhancements to Witney High Street and Market Square by sharing what was important to them and what active travel things they would like to improve to help achieve the project objectives:

  • 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

In 2024 we then asked local people and businesses to review the draft plans designed from their feedback in the first stage. This feedback together with completion of site surveys and discussion with West Oxfordshire District Council and Witney Town Council since the start of the scheme has helped to finalise the design for the works that will be delivered.

A final consultation was held in 2025. Due to significant increases in materials and labour costs, the county council sought additional funding to ensure that the scheme would still go ahead, as close to the plans as possible. An additional £1,875,937 of funding has been secured from active travel funding to enable this.

The revised budget for the scheme is £4.4million and funding has been identified and secured to ensure that the scheme will be fully funded moving into the construction phase.

Funding is broken down as follows:

  • £2.869m from Active Travel England (UK government's active travel funding body)
  • £1.495m Oxfordshire County Council capital programme
  • £0.040m Developers contributions (S106 funding)

The additional funding that has been secured will help to deliver more of what people told us they would like while meeting increasing materials and labour prices.

About the scheme

Witney High Street and Market Square enhancements is a scheme to deliver public improvements that complement the town’s history and character, and help to improve the look and feel of Witney for everyone spending time in the town centre. It supports the existing traffic arrangement on Witney High Street and Market Square, and our objectives to make walking, wheeling and cycling easier and more pleasant for everyone.

Our aim for the project is to deliver a safer and more accessible High Street and Market Square featuring wider, higher quality footways and improved crossing points. The project will create a more welcoming public realm that encourages more people to visit and spend time in the town centre.

The scheme will provide:

  • new seating areas where people can sit and socialise.
  • new trees giving shelter and boosting air quality.
  • resurfacing approximately 2000m2 of existing footway and creating over 1000m2 of new footway space.
  • new footway areas which will support future wayfinding ambitions celebrating the town's heritage.
  • 10 marked disabled persons parking places.
  • flexible loading arrangements for businesses within the town centre.
  • a new, additional bus stop for community transport. Taxi access will be permitted in the shared space after 5pm on weekdays and after 2pm on Saturdays, with a 16m taxi bay provided at all times.
  • a new traffic priority arrangement for the High Street/Welch Way junction including a central island to support cyclists making right turns.


Construction

Construction for the Witney High Street and Market Square project is due to start in early May 2026 and the works are scheduled for completion in November (subject to weather conditions and other factors that are beyond the council's control).

The works will be completed in phases starting on the western side of the street, with traffic movements restricted to southbound only during this phase, with works then switching to the eastern side of the street when traffic will only be permitted northbound on the High Street and Market Square between the Corn Street and Welch Way junctions.

Most of the works will take place within the footway areas. Safe pedestrian and wheelchair/mobility-aided access will be maintained throughout the works and access will be provided to shops, food outlets and businesses.

While bus stop and taxi rank locations will be maintained when possible, during some phases of the works bus stops will need to be relocated to Langdale Gate and Welch Way with the taxi rank temporarily relocated outside The Angel Inn on Market Square.

During the works, there may be short periods where some loading and disabled persons' parking places on the High Street and by the Market Square may not be available. Appropriate areas for loading during each phase of the works will be communicated to businesses with regular updates provided. There is alternative parking for visitors and blue badge holders in the Woolgate car park accessed via Witan Way.

The contractor will have an on-site public liaison officer to communicate with business owners and residents throughout the construction stage.

If you run a business on the High Street or the Market Square in the scheme area, our contractor will be in touch with you to talk about your access needs during the works. You can speak to the public liaison officer for Galliford Try about any special access needs you may have for your place of business by emailing: witneyhighstreet@gallifordtry.co.uk.

Works will complete with the installation of automatic number plate recognition, or ANPR cameras. These will reduce the number of non-exempt motor vehicles going through the restrictions on the High Street and Market Square, and make it more pleasant for people to enjoy the town centre at their leisure without worrying about dodging traffic.

Signs will be added ahead of and just before entering the motor vehicle restriction area to make sure people know where the restriction is, and direct them to alternative parking and routes.

Shoppers can continue to park in the Woolgate car park near the Market Square and walk through the Woolgate Centre to the Market Square and High Street, and in Marriott's Walk and walk from Welch Way to the lower end of the High Street. A site compound for the works will be set up within Zone G of the Woolgate car park with long stay parking bays relocated to adjacent areas of the car park.


Background

The project began with a grant of £1.98m from the UK Government’s active travel fund - which provided money specifically to support active travel (walking, wheeling, cycling and buses) in the town centre.

In 2023 we asked local people and businesses to help us design a plan for making enhancements to Witney High Street and Market Square by sharing what was important to them and what active travel things they would like to improve to help achieve the project objectives:

  • 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

In 2024 we then asked local people and businesses to review the draft plans designed from their feedback in the first stage. This feedback together with completion of site surveys and discussion with West Oxfordshire District Council and Witney Town Council since the start of the scheme has helped to finalise the design for the works that will be delivered.

A final consultation was held in 2025. Due to significant increases in materials and labour costs, the county council sought additional funding to ensure that the scheme would still go ahead, as close to the plans as possible. An additional £1,875,937 of funding has been secured from active travel funding to enable this.

The revised budget for the scheme is £4.4million and funding has been identified and secured to ensure that the scheme will be fully funded moving into the construction phase.

Funding is broken down as follows:

  • £2.869m from Active Travel England (UK government's active travel funding body)
  • £1.495m Oxfordshire County Council capital programme
  • £0.040m Developers contributions (S106 funding)

The additional funding that has been secured will help to deliver more of what people told us they would like while meeting increasing materials and labour prices.

Page last updated: 21 Apr 2026, 10:45 AM