Development Board recommended provision of  £150,000 feasibility funding for the development of full business case for the wider Oxford Zero Emission Zone.

This funding represents 50% of full costs, the remainder of which will be funded by Oxfordshire County Council.

Oxford City Council and Oxfordshire County Council are proposing to create a Zero Emission Zone (ZEZ) in the wider Oxford city centre which is due to come into effect in summer 2022.  The ZEZ would be based on a road user charging scheme, which means vehicles driven in the zone would be subject to charges, depending on their emissions.  Only 100% zero emission vehicles would be able to enter the zone free of charge.

The City Council’s new draft Air Quality Action Plan introduces a new lower target for polluting NO2 in the city and this can only be reached with the help of measures like the ZEZ.

In order to progress the development of the ZEZ, feasibility funding is sought in order to take the proposals to full business case.

If the ZEZ is fully implemented it is expected that income from the zone will be used to repay any scheme development and implementation cost. Estimation of income generation will form part of the full business case. 

Not to award funding –would have meant that the Council could not develop proposals for wider ZEZ and was therefore rejected.

Executive Director (Development) in consultation with Cabinet Member for Green Transport and Zero Carbon Oxford.