Planning Policy West Oxfordshire District Council•3 years ago Under this final scenario, we would look to focus future growth (beyond existing commitments) along key public transport corridors and around public transport hubs e.g. rail stations. In a recent rail study commissioned by the County Council, the consultants stated that by 2031, car journeys along the A40 will take up to 30 minutes longer.In focusing development where the availability of public transport is good, people will be less likely to use their car, helping to reduce congestion and carbon emissions - particularly with increased electrification of our public transport services.Public transport options in West Oxfordshire are however variable in terms of coverage and frequency.In terms of bus services, although good, frequent services run along the A40 and A44 including services to Oxford, journey times can be affected by congestion, particularly at peak times. Coverage across much of the rest of the District, in particular more rural areas, is sporadic or even non-existent in some locations, particularly off-peak.Oxfordshire County is currently progressing its Smart Corridor project which will see the provision of bus priority measures along the A40, including east and westbound bus lanes as well as improved pedestrian and cycle connectivity. Improvements to the A44 are also scheduled as part of the North Oxford Corridor (NOC) project.In terms of rail services, the District is served by two main rail lines, the Cotswold line and the Cherwell Valley Line.The Cotswold line passes through the largely rural central part of the District, connecting several towns and villages with Hereford in the west and Oxford and London in the east. Stations are located at Long Hanborough, Combe, Finstock, Charlbury, Ascott under Wychwood, Shipton under Wychwood and Kingham.A very small proportion of the Cherwell Valley Line runs through the eastern part of the District with a station at Tackley providing services northwards to Birmingham and southwards to Oxford and onto London Paddington.Notably, none of the District’s main towns (Witney, Carterton and Chipping Norton) are served by rail. However, Oxfordshire County Council have recently commissioned work to further investigate the concept of a possible new railway line solution from Carterton and Witney to Oxford and to establish if there is a strategic need for the proposed railway line and any resulting investment required.Four potential station locations have been identified at Carterton West, Carterton North, Witney and Eynsham with initial assessments suggesting the journey would take approximately 23 minutes from Carterton, 16 minutes from Witney, and 11 minutes from Eynsham. Although the provision of a new railway line would be a costly (£500m+) and complex project to bring forward, the study concludes that the journey time savings compared to anticipated bus and car journey times in 2031 are considerable, with nearly an hour saved against the relevant car journey from Carterton and Witney, and more than half an hour from Eynsham. Compared with buses, the time savings are about an hour from Carterton, 40 minutes from Witney, and 25 minutes from Eynsham. A new railway line would also assist with longer-term capacity issues along the A40.Taking account of the above, a public transport focused scenario would therefore see future additional growth focused in locations where there are good current and potential future opportunities to use public transport such as the A40 and A44 for bus services and along the Cotswold rail line for rail. Depending on how the project progresses, this could also include consideration of future development taking place along the potential Carterton – Oxford rail line. Some broad commentary on this potential approach is provided below.
Would help to encourage ‘modal shift’ away from the use of the private car and towards increased use of public transport;
Potentially reduces carbon emissions – particularly with the electrification of bus services;
The A40 and A44 corridors and the Cotswold rail line include a number of larger settlements which have a good range of services and facilities available;
Development along the route of the potential Carterton – Oxford rail route could possibly help to fund it (e.g. through land value capture);
Coverage of public transport across the District is variable;
Much of the Cotswold rail line runs through the Cotswolds National Landscape where the scale and extent of development is expected to be limited;
The potential Carterton – Oxford rail line is at a feasibility study stage only;
This approach would mean further growth at a number of towns and villages which have already absorbed a significant amount of development in recent years (e.g. Carterton, Witney, Eynsham, Long Hanborough, Woodstock).
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