Oxpens River Bridge Consultation

Overview

Oxford City Council would like to get your thoughts on plans for a new pedestrian and cycle footbridge to create a new link to enhance the wider walking and cycling network; improving accessibility for pedestrians and cyclists and reinforcing legibility.

The bridge is proposed to be located at Grandpont Nature Park (south side) and Oxpens Meadow (north side) connecting from Osney Mead to the west to Oxford City Centre and the Oxford Train Station and beyond to the wider walking and cycling networks.

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Why has the bridge been proposed?

The bridge seeks to improve connections for existing and future residents and users of the area in recognition of future transformation of Oxford’s West End and current need.

The adopted Oxford Local Plan identifies development opportunities in the West End and Osney Mead, policy AOC 1, and seeks enhanced connectivity throughout the area and improved pedestrian and cycling experience.  The policy for Osney Mead, policy SP2, also seeks enhanced footpaths and a new bridge linking to the other side of the river. The proposed bridge is therefore part of proposals to enhance connectivity by walking and cycling in the area. The Draft West End SPD also identifies the Oxpens River Bridge as a key infrastructure priority for the area to improve east west connections.

The bridge proposal therefore is part of a series of projects that will transform the West End in the coming years, with projects including:

• Network Rail’s redevelopment of Oxford Train Station to create new tracks and provide better east-to-west routes
• The OxWED partnership’s redevelopment of Oxpens, to create a new mixed-used neighbourhood providing a range of homes and jobs within a new innovation district.
• University of Oxford’s redevelopment of Osney Mead industrial estate
• Nuffield College’s redevelopment of the ‘island’ of buildings between Park End Street, Hythe Bridge Street and Worcester Street

The bridge will also connect homes in south Oxford with the West End of the city centre, including the new employment sites and Oxford Train Station.

Funding for the Bridge 

The funding for the new bridge has come from the Growth Deal Funding secured for Oxfordshire. The funding was secured to support the delivery of new housing. The County Council is the accountable body for the Growth Deal funding and entered into a funding agreement with the City Council for the bridge. 

Project Timeline

Stakeholder and Public Engagement - 19^th July - 13^th September 2022

Planning Submission - Autumn 2022

Planning Determination - December 2022/January 2023

Construction - 2023

Consultation

Stakeholder and public engagement on draft proposals will run for eight weeks from July 19^th 2022 to September 13^th 2022.  This seeks to gather local input to inform proposals as they develop prior to the submission of a planning application in autumn 2022.

We have produced a series of boards which summarise how the design has been developed. This includes purpose, details of the location, design direction, sustainability and impacts of the bridge, particularly regarding trees, ecology and flood mitigation.

There is a short survey in order to capture feedback on the proposals. We would like to hear your views on the proposals as we develop the design of the bridge and work towards a planning application in Autumn 2022.

If you have any issues using the web survey or wish to provide further information, please get in touch with us via the contact details on this page.