Covered Market Masterplan consultation
Feedback updated 27 Feb 2023
We asked
Public consultation ran from 10 September until 23 October 2022, a period of just over six weeks.
We asked residents for their views on a proposed ‘masterplan’ to update Oxford’s historic Covered Market for the 21st Century. This includes a number of proposed new measures, including a new ‘public square’ in the heart of the market and a new ‘pedestrian-friendly’ space on Market Street.
There is a full analysis of its conclusion available on request.
You said
The in-person and virtual consultation was seeking to gather the widest possible public response.
- We received 476 responses to our online consultation survey.
- More than 300 people spoke to officers at one of the public drop-in sessions or at the online event.
- More than 50 stakeholders, including Covered Market Traders, attended group or individual sessions or filled out the consultation.
- Historic England, Oxford Preservation Trust, Oxford Civic Society, Cyclox, Brasenose College (on behalf of the retail-owning colleges including All Souls, Corpus Christi, Exeter, Jesus, Lincoln, Oriel and Trinity) shared their views separately over email.
- Several councillors responded.
There was clear support for the masterplan proposals – both at an individual level and when taken together as a holistic plan:
- 66% of respondents strongly agree or agree that the Covered Market needs all these proposals as part of a single plan (versus 15% who strongly disagree or disagree).
- The element of the proposals which had the most support was the proposed change to Market Street: 81% of respondents strongly agree or agree that a more pedestrian-friendly area on Market Street will encourage more visitors to the Covered Market.
- There was majority agreement that our proposals deliver against all six of the project ambitions, apart from for sustainability.
- The people responding to the public consultation were primarily regular customers and visitors, and they come for a variety of reasons, although not many from the less engaged or under-represented groups responded.
The implications of the public consultation results:
- The officer recommendation to take the masterplan proposals to the next stage of work is supported by the public.
- The next stage of work (detailed design and onwards) should review the detailed comments from the consultation portal and stakeholders, so that more attention can be focused in relevant areas, including: the right mix of activities on Market Street and the communal area; more explanation of the value of improving entrances, toilets and cycle storage; more work on improving the environmental sustainability implications of the proposals.
- The next stage of work, which would include at least one period of statutory public consultation, should endeavour to incorporate the views of a more diverse range of people.
We did
Oxford City Council has approved a £6.87m package to revitalise Oxford’s historic Covered Market.
The funding package was agreed by Cabinet at a meeting on Wednesday 8 February.
The project will see the entrances in High Street and Market Street transformed, larger seating areas inside, and a new dwell space outside in a new pedestrian-friendly Market Street.
The regeneration will respect the unique character, heritage and history of the Covered Market, which first opened fully in 1774, while securing the long-term future of the Grade II-listed prized Council asset.
The set of proposals has come together into a “Masterplan”, prepared over a period of two years, involving extensive consultation with market traders, residents and other stakeholders.
There are three main improvements in the Masterplan:
1. A ‘pedestrian-friendly’ space on Market Street
This will be immediately outside the market entrances in Market Street, with the introduction of planters, seating and outdoor stalls. The public toilets are proposed to be modernised and relocated. The ‘back entrance’ to the Market will therefore be transformed into an attractive, green and accessible space to relax in the city centre.
The service yard, or loading bay for traders, will stay in its existing location, so the proposal will rely on creating a period in the day when vehicles (apart from emergency services) will not be able to access some of Market Street.
The City Council is working with traders and other Market Street stakeholders, as well as the County Council, in order to establish a practical plan that will both accommodate traders’ day-to-day business needs, while enabling the new communal space to operate.
2. New communal space opening onto Market Street
The Market will have a new and much more visible opening from an improved Market Street into a large, welcoming seating area, which will function as a public square during the day and a flexible event space at different times. This will bring more light into the Market and improve the entrance space.
With generous amounts of seating, it will be much easier for visitors to spend more time in the Covered Market. Sympathetic architectural changes, including the addition of glazing, are proposed to reveal and protect the building’s heritage and splendour for future generations of shoppers and traders.
Two existing units in the least historically significant part of the Market will need to be removed in order for this public square to be created, so the City Council is working with the affected businesses in order to review the opportunities to relocate within the Market.
3. Improved entrances on High Street and Cornmarket Street
Lighter entrances, with better signage and a new floor surface will encourage more visitors to walk through from popular shopping areas nearby. The City Council is seeking ways to improve the entrances which will benefit the Market and the High Street more generally, and is working with the adjacent landowners to action this where appropriate.
Other proposals in the Masterplan include implementing essential improvements to the services of the Market (such as drainage) at the same time as the more visible transformations already summarised. This way, the Market will be able to evolve to meet customer’s needs long into the future.
Overview
Oxford City Council is seeking views from local people on a proposed ‘masterplan’ to update Oxford’s historic Covered Market for the 21st Century.
These views will be used by the Council to refine the draft masterplan, which sets out proposals for a multi-million pound regeneration of the market to secure its long-term future.
This includes a number of proposed new measures, including a new ‘public square’ in the heart of the market and a new ‘pedestrian-friendly’ space on Market Street.
The draft masterplan has been informed by public workshops held in 2021. Members of the public said they wanted to see a lively, diverse market with more places to sit and socialise, making it a thriving part of the city centre throughout the day and into the evening.
There has also been significant engagement in 2021 and 2022 with Covered Market Traders and other city centre stakeholders. Their input has informed the latest proposals and the Council continues to engage on a one-to-one basis with the Traders most affected by the proposals.
The creation of new spaces will make the Covered Market more accessible to more people and improve connections with surrounding streets.
The latest proposal can be viewed here in one go. Alternatively, you can review them section by section when responding to the survey.
You can take part in the consultation by reviewing the information and completing an online survey through the link below. There are also large-format images in the windows of a unit in the middle of the Covered Market, which you are welcome to review. We well be hosting some drop-in consultation events there, where you can meet our staff and express your views in person. Please see the details at the bottom of this page.
Events
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Drop-in consultation event at the Covered Market central square (part of Oxford Open Doors festival)
From 10 Sep 2022 at 10:00 to 10 Sep 2022 at 15:00Pop in to the public consultation space in the Covered Market to have your say on the City Council’s ‘masterplan’ proposals for updating the grade-II-listed building for the 21st century. Officers from the council will be in the public consultation space, a unit next to the central communal square in the market, in order to explain the proposals and gather your feedback. This event will be a great chance to see large visuals on-location, so you can get a real sense for the council’s vision for a new ‘public square’ in the heart of the market, a new ‘pedestrian-friendly’ space on Market Street and improved entrances into the Market.
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Drop-in consultation event at the Covered Market central square
From 27 Sep 2022 at 11:00 to 27 Sep 2022 at 15:00Pop in to the public consultation space in the Covered Market to have your say on the City Council’s ‘masterplan’ proposals for updating the grade-II-listed building for the 21st century. Officers from the council will be in the public consultation space, a unit next to the central communal square in the market, in order to explain the proposals and gather your feedback. This event will be a great chance to see large visuals on-location, so you can get a real sense for the council’s vision for a new ‘public square’ in the heart of the market, a new ‘pedestrian-friendly’ space on Market Street and improved entrances into the Market.
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Drop-in consultation event at the Covered Market central square
From 29 Sep 2022 at 11:00 to 29 Sep 2022 at 15:00Pop in to the public consultation space in the Covered Market to have your say on the City Council’s ‘masterplan’ proposals for updating the grade-II-listed building for the 21st century. Officers from the council will be in the public consultation space, a unit next to the central communal square in the market, in order to explain the proposals and gather your feedback. This event will be a great chance to see large visuals on-location, so you can get a real sense for the council’s vision for a new ‘public square’ in the heart of the market, a new ‘pedestrian-friendly’ space on Market Street and improved entrances into the Market.
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Drop-in consultation stall at the Town Hall as part of Oxford Older People's Day
From 5 Oct 2022 at 10:00 to 5 Oct 2022 at 15:00Join us at the Town Hall as part of the Oxford Older People's Day. We will have one of 68 stalls on the first floor of the Town Hall. We will explain the City Council’s ‘masterplan’ proposals for updating the grade-II-listed Covered Market for the 21st century and will gather people's feedback. This event will be a great chance to see large visuals on screen while talking it through with project officers, so you can get a real sense for the council’s vision for a new ‘public square’ in the heart of the market, a new ‘pedestrian-friendly’ space on Market Street and improved entrances into the Market.
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Drop-in consultation event at the Covered Market central square
From 11 Oct 2022 at 11:00 to 11 Oct 2022 at 15:00Pop in to the public consultation space in the Covered Market to have your say on the City Council’s ‘masterplan’ proposals for updating the grade-II-listed building for the 21st century. Officers from the council will be in the public consultation space, a unit next to the central communal square in the market, in order to explain the proposals and gather your feedback. This event will be a great chance to see large visuals on-location, so you can get a real sense for the council’s vision for a new ‘public square’ in the heart of the market, a new ‘pedestrian-friendly’ space on Market Street and improved entrances into the Market.
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Zoom (virtual) presentation and discussion
From 12 Oct 2022 at 17:30 to 12 Oct 2022 at 19:00Please email tmaxwell@oxford.gov.uk if you would like to join a virtual presentation and discussion about the City Council’s ‘masterplan’ proposals for updating the grade-II-listed building for the 21st century. Officers from the council and architects will present the proposals before opening out to a discussion.
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Drop-in consultation event at the Covered Market central square
From 13 Oct 2022 at 11:00 to 13 Oct 2022 at 15:00Pop in to the public consultation space in the Covered Market to have your say on the City Council’s ‘masterplan’ proposals for updating the grade-II-listed building for the 21st century. Officers from the council will be in the public consultation space, a unit next to the central communal square in the market, in order to explain the proposals and gather your feedback. This event will be a great chance to see large visuals on-location, so you can get a real sense for the council’s vision for a new ‘public square’ in the heart of the market, a new ‘pedestrian-friendly’ space on Market Street and improved entrances into the Market.
Audiences
- Anyone from any background
Interests
- Covered Market
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