Green Group Motion

Council notes:

1. The redevelopment of Oxford Railway Station^[1] offers a once-in-a-generation opportunity to create a world-class gateway to Oxford that reflects the city’s status as a global centre for learning, innovation, and tourism.
2. The Oxon4Buses^[2] campaign and petition calls for the new station to be developed as a multi-modal transport hub—integrating local and regional buses, coaches, trains, cycling, walking, taxis, and shared mobility.
3. The Movement Strategy in OCC’s adopted Oxford West End and Osney Mead Supplementary Planning Document 2022^[3] states that vehicular dominance, particularly in the West End is to be reduced with car-free developments & reductions in car parking.
4. Gloucester Green Bus Station occupies a valuable central site that could potentially be better used for alternative city-centre purposes if coach and bus services are relocated to a fully integrated station hub.

Council believes:

1. Oxford should aspire to a transport interchange of international quality, providing seamless connections between rail, coach, bus, taxis, cycling and walking, and setting a new standard for sustainable urban mobility.

2. Expanding or maintaining the current car parking provision at the station would run counter to the objectives of OCCs Zero Carbon Oxford’s^[4], Air Quality Action Plan^[5], and the Oxford 2050 Transport and Connectivity Vision^[6] adding congestion and undermining the city’s shift towards sustainable modes.

3. A new multi-modal transport hub at Oxford Train Station will support the development of the West End in the same way that the new Cowley Branch Line^[7], will support inclusive economic growth, reduce congestion, and improve access to jobs, education, and opportunity.

4. The West End regeneration area^[8], including Oxford Station, Oxpens^[9], and Osney Mead, must be planned and delivered as a coherent, sustainable district, where high-quality transport infrastructure underpins inclusive economic and social growth.

5. The new Cowley Branch Line was recently described by the City Council as key to “supporting inclusive growth, connecting communities, and enabling a greener future.” The same logic applies to the new Oxford Station development.

6. All options should be considered, including the feasibility of relocating bus and coach services to the new station interchange – thereby freeing up the Gloucester Green site for alternative civic uses.

Council therefore resolves to:

1. Request the Cabinet Member for a Zero Carbon Oxford to  publicly support the Oxon4Buses campaign in its call for a multi-modal transport hub at Oxford Station, with minimal car parking and no multi-storey car park.

2. Request the Cabinet Member for a Zero Carbon Oxford to work with partners—including Oxfordshire County Council, Network Rail, Great Western Railway, and the Department for Transport—to ensure the final design of the train station places bus, coach, cycling, and walking facilities at its heart.

3. Request that officers produce a paper for cabinet to explore and bring forward proposals for alternative uses of the Gloucester Green site in the context of wider city-centre and West End regeneration priorities.

This motion was not taken as the time allocated for debate had finished.