Issue - meetings

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Councillor John Howson had given written notice of the following question to Councillor Constance, Cabinet member for Environment:

‘With the reduced flow of traffic entering the City of Oxford from the west, would you consider diverting traffic from Frideswide’s Square along Park End Street and New Road to Worcester Street. Hythe Bridge Street, with its narrow pavements where social distancing is impossible, could then become a pedestrian route from Frideswide’s Square to the junction with Worcester Street with the only vehicle access to local properties. This change would make a secure cycling and walking route into the city centre. A temporary arrangement, as with the recent experiment in George Street, would test the benefit of this arrangement to both pedestrians and cyclists.’ 

Councillor Constance replied:

‘We recognise that footways are narrow and pedestrian flow is heavy along Hythe Bridge Street, but we do not believe that diverting traffic in this way would be a suitable solution at present. Traffic levels appear to be only slightly less than pre Covid-19 and this diversion would need the recent changes to the George Street/Worcester Street/Hythe Bridge Street junction to be removed. The significant benefits for pedestrians and cyclists that have been achieved as a result of this junction improvement would be lost and the additional general traffic using Worcester Street south would have a negative impact on buses and their passengers.’

Supplementary question: Councillor Howson asked whether in view of the narrow footways and high pedestrian flow along Hythe Bridge Street there were any solutions that the cabinet member could offer to assist with social distancing particularly between Upper Fisher Row and the junction with George Street. Councillor Constance replied that there were no current proposals but that officers would consider Councillor Howson’s question and if there were any solutions that presented themselves Councillor Howson would be kept informed.

Councillor John Sanders had given written notice of the following question to Councillor Constance, Cabinet Member for Environment:

‘Will the cabinet member explain how it has come to pass that after a decade and more of fudge, error and delay this Council still does not have a valid Minerals and Waste Local Plan, that is now to be postponed again by at least two years to 2023?’    

Councillor Constance replied:

‘The Council does have an adopted Minerals and Waste Local Plan: Part 1 Core Strategy. This was adopted by Full Council in 2017 and sets out the vision, objectives, spatial planning strategy and policies for meeting development requirements for the supply of minerals and the management of waste in Oxfordshire over the period to 2031.  The Core Strategy provides the Policy on which the determination of all minerals and waste development management decisions are made. The Core Strategy also provides a policy framework for identifying sites for new minerals and waste developments in Part 2 of the plan - the Site Allocations Plan.

“We are now working on preparing the Minerals and Waste Local Plan: Part 2 Site Allocations Plan (Sites Plan). The Sites  ...  view the full minutes text for item 75