Why has the transport work been updated?

Following submission of the outline planning application, Oxfordshire County Council (OCC) requested further evidence and refinement to ensure the proposal delivers a genuine shift towards sustainable travel and does not adversely affect the local transport network.

The project team has held meetings and design workshops with Oxford City Council, Oxford County Council and community stakeholders (including Oxfordshire Liveable Streets and Cheney School). The updated assessment reflects those discussions and agreements.

Changes since the original submission

1. ‎Reduction in car use

The most significant change is a stronger and more clearly evidenced reduction in car use:

• Existing travel to the hospital is currently around 67% by car and the planning submission set out a series of mitigation measures to reduce this to 30%.
• The updated proposal reduces future car use from 30% to around 25% of all trips, i.e. a reduction in reliance in use of the private car at the Warneford Park from a current 2 in 3 trips, to just 1 in 4. We are not aware of any development in the city which has targeted such a significant mode shift.
• Around 75% of trips will be made by walking, cycling or public transport.
• These targets have been reviewed in detail with OCC and were accepted in principle in December 2025.

• Very frequent bus services already serving the site and surrounding area.
• Additional future upgrades to local bus services and infrastructure.
• Major upgrades to walking and cycling routes and crossings in the vicinity of the site.
• A comprehensive Travel Plan with monitoring and review.
• A permit-based parking system that prioritises essential needs.

2. The updated assessment takes different types of site users into account

Following OCC feedback, the assessment now clearly distinguishes between:

• NHS Trust and University users, which are assessed using real travel survey data from the existing site, including shift patterns.
• The commercial research and development (R&D) element, which is assessed using nationally-recognised TRICS (Trip Rate Information Computer System) data consistent with other similar developments in Oxford.

This ensures the assessment reflects how people will actually travel, rather than applying a single assumption to everyone.

3. Changes to the Warneford Lane / Old Road / Gipsy Lane / Roosevelt Drive junction

This is a key local junction which lies outside the application site but which we have offered to improve to increase accessibility and safety for pedestrians and cyclists. This would bring significant benefits for those accessing Cheney School, Oxford Brookes and for anyone locally who uses the junction. Following consultation, the suggested design has been refined as follows:

• Reduce all approaches from two traffic lanes to single lanes, therefore reallocating more space for walking and cycling.
• Introduce two-way cycle lanes across the Warneford Lane, Gipsy Lane, and Old Road arms to prioritise cycle connections towards Grays Road and Cheney School.
• Maintain acceptable operation for buses and general traffic.

This responds directly to feedback from OCC, Oxfordshire Liveable Streets and Cheney School and the design has been tested and shown to operate within capacity.

4. Other walking and cycling improvements

Other improvements are being proposed to significantly improve safety and comfort for people walking and cycling. They include:

• Warneford Lane: safer crossings, continuous priority for active travel, upgraded bus stops and improved cycle links.
• Gipsy Lane: clearer cycle lanes, safer school crossings and measures to reduce unsafe stopping.
• Old Road and Roosevelt Drive: improved crossings, better cycle connectivity and upgraded bus stop facilities.

5. Enforcing our commitments over time

An updated Framework Travel Plan will be secured through planning conditions. It includes:

• Clear targets for reducing car use.
• Regular monitoring of travel behaviour and parking demand.
• Review points and the ability to introduce further measures if targets are not met.

This ensures the transport strategy is actively managed, not simply theoretical.

Key feedback included:

• Concern that the development could affect water levels and quality in the Lye Valley; and
• More information was requested to demonstrate the effectiveness of the on-site drainage strategy.

In response:

• A detailed hydrological modelling exercise has been completed, informed by calibrated groundwater monitoring and geotechnical data, to quantify the potential impact of the basement and the proposed soakaways on groundwater.
• The hydrological model predicts a maximum typical net increase/decrease in groundwater level of just circa 0.1m in the immediate area around the proposed basement, which is very low and within typical seasonal variation.
• As a result, the work confirms that the risk and impact of the existing retained structures and drainage and the proposed development on the hydrogeological regime onsite and to the wider offsite area, is predicted to be very low and well within acceptable limits.

In principle (and now confirmed by detailed modelling), there would be no material change to off-site ground water as a result of the development.

During the consultation on the planning application, the City Council’s Ecology Officer asked for further information about the ecological surveys carried out and how the proposed development might affect local wildlife.

A meeting was held between the project’s technical specialists and Oxford City Council’s Ecology Officer to discuss the comments received from the Ecology Officer and Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire Wildlife Trust (BBOWT).

• Discussions related to how the proposed mitigation would be delivered, the further work to be undertaken as part of the detailed design phase, as well as scope and timing of further ecological surveys.
• Additional groundwater modelling, which has now confirmed that groundwater flows would remain unchanged as a result of the development. This means sensitive habitats, including the Lye Valley Site of Special Scientific Interest, would not be adversely affected.
• Further detail was requested regarding the approach for the protection of bats. A phased ecological survey strategy remains the most appropriate approach for identifying and managing ecological impacts during construction. Updated bat surveys will be undertaken ahead of each phase, with mitigation introduced if bats are identified within any of the buildings or trees that are to be disturbed (including through demolition, repairs or tree removal).
• Lighting during construction will be carefully managed through the Construction Environmental Management Plan, and the operational lighting design will follow established Institute of Lighting Professionals, and Bat Conservation Trust guidance.
• Further detail was requested with regards to safeguarding badgers. The project will continue to follow a clear hierarchy that prioritises retaining existing setts wherever possible. Badger habitat will be created on-site prior to any disturbance to badger habitats to ensure habitat is consistently available. Should any sett closure be unavoidable, it will follow the appropriate licensing process, and artificial setts may be created if required.

BBOWT was invited to take part in the meeting and has been provided with the meeting minutes. The project team has issued separate written responses, covering each of the points raised in consultation, to the Ecology Officer and BBOWT.