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Visions March 18 REV FINAL.Pub VISIONS March 2018 Number 139 The city centre goes west By Ian Green, Chairman Part of the Osney Mead area that is due for redevelopment Photo courtesy of D Collins / Jolt Media The Society is generally optimistic about the future of our city Further acceleration of population growth to the east, south and but the Chairman argues we should all be concerned about the west in the early 20th century compounded the problem. The nettle future of the city centre. of shifting the main retail and commercial activities to eastern Oxford was considered but not grasped and for a long time the Our city centre suffers from traffic congestion on the roads, pedestri- only link between the eastern growth areas and the city centre an congestion on the pavements, inadequate cycle provision and services was across Magdalen Bridge which channelled traffic public transport that competes for road space with increasing vol- along the world-class High Street. Traffic movement is also con- umes of traffic. We lack a clear city centre housing policy while strained from the west along Botley Road and especially at the there is also failure to meet demands for office space and the retail Botley railway bridge, and from the south along Abingdon Road offer is in chaos. Tourism is stretching the capacity of the city and at Folly Bridge. centre’s flagging public realm, cultural offers are not clear to residents or visitors and there are continuing risks to the historic Enter the Balanced Transport Policy environment. Air pollution is a health risk and there is slow pro- From the 1930s and for nearly 30 years road building solutions gress to a low carbon economy. were sought to relieve the High Street of traffic and to ease access Lack of foresight by the 9th century city founders is a basic problem! to the city centre services. The grounds for optimism that exist now The city centre was built on the land between two rivers which have are based on the 1970s shift from road building as a solution, to to be crossed if people east, south and west of the centre are to traffic management as a solution. The 1973 Balanced Transport access major commercial, retail and civic administration services Policy aimed to limit congestion and growth of traffic, encourage and the railway station in the city centre. The problematic use of public transport, improve environmental conditions in shop- consequences of this land-use arrangement have been evident ping and residential streets and along main roads. It also aimed to since the mid-19th century when the rate of growth in eastern maintain the commercial life of the city, reduce peak demands for Oxford picked up. transport, particularly journeys to work, improve the mobility of all Chairman, continued develop a mixed-use scheme that could include new homes, retail, leisure, office and R&D space, plus a hotel. Already there is plan- ning consent for 500 student beds on a small piece of the site not owned by the joint venture. For Osney Mead, a 20-year development project will convert a 17- hectare industrial estate into a knowledge park, with laboratories, offices and 600 affordable homes for graduates and university staff. Nuffield College plans for ‘Nuffield Island’ and Worcester Street Car Park are at an early stage, but proposals are for redevelopment as a mixed-use social science and business quarter to complement the joint venture’s plans for Oxpens. A masterplan for a redevelopment of the Oxford station buildings has been pro- posed, but is currently unfunded. There are also plans to re- introduce passenger trains on the currently freight-only Cowley branch line to East Oxford. Worryingly there is not enough Electric minibuses negotiate the historic centre of Ljubljana consideration of connections to and from Oxford station or be- tween the significant sites comprising the West End Area redevelop- groups of travellers, including cyclists and pedestrians, and to con- ment. trol developments to minimise extra transport pressures. The policy introduced Park and Ride schemes with car parks on the city's The development of this western section of the city and its inte- edge and bus lanes on some radial roads. To reduce traffic flow gration with the ‘old’ centre must be included in the demand into the city centre, parking on and off street was controlled and management and movement studies and emerging policies on charges set at a level which gave shoppers priority over long-stay higher residential densities and higher buildings. These poli- commuters. Laudable aims indeed but not enough, as is evident. cies should be integrated with city centre housing, office provision and retail and tourism policy with minimisation of risks to the historic The 1973 Balanced Transport Policy is still the basis of the County environment and fast progress to a low carbon economy. and City Council transport policies we have today. The most recent city centre transport planning study, the Joint City / County All these will be covered by local plan policies in the new Local City Centre Movement and Public Realm Study, and the County’s Plan 2036, but what needs to be ensured is a coherent city Demand Management Studies are essentially efforts to enhance centre strategy in a section of the Local Plan. It would be helpful if the effectiveness of the 45 year-old Balanced Transport Policy. the Local Plan were robust enough to include future proofing with The demand management study is considering reducing traffic thorough consideration of alternative means of transport, such as volumes in the vicinity of the city centre, possibly with further traffic trams and the social and environmental implications of driverless restriction points (like the bus gate in High Street), workplace park- vehicles and road pricing. Would an east-west tram line which com- ing or congestion charging measures. If implemented these could plements the proposed bus rapid transit lines better enable access free up road space for Park and Ride services from the west, south to the westward extending city centre from the east? Could access and north to operate more efficiently. Options for the City Centre to the historic city centre be limited Movement and Public Realm also include a variety of possible to electric powered minibuses, per- one-way bus service loops which free up road space for enhanced haps autonomous as the technology two-way segregated cycle ways and wider footpaths. The health develops? benefits of linking the proposed Emissions Zone strategy and the recommendations of these studies are clear. Nearly 50 years since the Oxford Civic Society was founded to The western drift of the city centre challenge road building in the city But given the array of existing problems, are the measures current- centre and to support the Balanced ly being discussed likely to take us far enough forward? Most Transport Policy, it is our view that scope for new development within the city as a whole is in the city the new Oxford Local Plan needs to centre, mostly around the main railway station. In the Oxpens, the include a holistic vision of a world- City Council and Nuffield College have formed a joint venture to class 21st century sustainable and inclusive city centre. CONTENTS LETTERS TO THE EDITOR 1-2 Chairman’s commentary If you’d like to comment on any of the articles in the news- 3 OCS people / AGM agenda letter or to start a debate on something else, please write 4 Transport to Hilary Bradley at [email protected] 5 Planning / Your letters 6-7 Programme We also welcome photos – of OCS walks and visits and 8 Blue Plaques in 2017 shots of the ever-changing city. 2 oxcivicsoc.org.uk OCS people Obituaries and an award Kate Joyce An award for James Stevens Curl It is with deep sadness that we Our congratulations go to Professor James Stevens Curl, the announce the death in January of Society’s first Chairman, who was recently awarded The British Kate Joyce. Kate made an immense Academy President’s Medal, recognising his contributions to the contribution to the work of the wider study of the history of architecture in Britain and Ireland. The Society, notably as Convenor of the medal is presented to scholars for ‘outstanding service to the cause Planning Group, a role she held for of the humanities’. He is probably best known to members as the over 16 years. author of The Oxford Dictionary of Architecture, now in its third edition. Kate organised the fortnightly group discussions and compiled and sub- mitted comments on unsuitable All welcome at the AGM development proposals to the City Council on behalf of the Society. We look forward to welcoming you at the 49th Annual She was skilled in bringing balance General Meeting of the Society on 21 March in the and objectivity to the consideration of applications and in achiev- Magdalen College Auditorium, Longwall Street. ing consensus across sometimes diverse opinions. Kate never disputed anyone's views, but modified them suitably in her multi- Refreshments from 6:30 pm. tude of quiet and effective letters of objection to the Planning Department. She was a highly conscientious Convener, doing much At 7pm Jayne Woodley, CEO of preparation and follow-up work and writing detailed accounts of Oxfordshire Community Foundation, the Group’s activities for this newsletter. will speak about ‘Making Oxfordshire a better place’. The Foundation aims to Kate was also a long-serving member of the Executive Committee inspire local philanthropy and develop from the mid-nineties, as was Tony Joyce. To the delight of all, they community-based solutions to key social married in 2008, when Tony was Chairman.
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