To create consistent and well-connected cycling and walking routes linking surrounding towns and villages with Oxford’s city centre.

Oxfordshire County Council and the University of Oxford will be contributing similar amounts as partners in the project, in order to create a total project budget of £100,000. Funding agreements will be entered into with both partner funders. Additional project funds may be received as donations from relevant stakeholders.

The overall budget will enable the procurement of a specialist consultancy, which will create a “bid-ready” document over the course of 12 to 18 months. Success for the project looks like the creation of a feasible vision, which is compelling to funders and the public alike, so that future phases of work (detailed design and delivery) can be achieved.

To contribute £33,000 towards the cost of a concept masterplan for a network of safe, consistent and well-connected cycling and walking routes linking surrounding towns and villages with Oxford’s city centre.

There are two alternative options, both of which are sub-optimal:

1.    City Council leaves this to County Council as the transport and highways authority. Bearing in mind the strategic value of this project for the city of Oxford, this approach would be risky as it would not give the City Council equal footing in the creation and management of the project.

2.    City Council seeks to implement a smaller version of the project on its own. This is not viable because County is the transport and highways authority. Any work the City Council undertook on its own in this area would be at risk of being entirely irrelevant; the recommendations of the concept masterplan would be less likely to be implemented by the transport authority.

Tom Bridgman, Director of Development, as part of Development Board.