ATTRACTIVE STREETS AND SPACES

The creation of attractive streets and spaces (often referred to as the 'public realm') is crucial to making the West End a successful and exciting place. Well-designed streets can also be places to meet and interact, and the West End will provide public spaces for people to linger and to gather for events and festivals, as well as quiet and tranquil green spaces.

Public Realm Enhancements
The public realm will be improved to make spaces more pleasant for pedestrians and cyclists, who will be given priority whenever possible. Elements such as lighting, public art, signs, street furniture, trees, plants and surfacing materials contribute to the attractiveness and functionality of the public realm. Key sites for essential improvement in this area include Oxpens, Frideswide Square, Castle Mill Stream and Bonn Square/Westgate.

New Links
Ease of movement for pedestrians depends on good urban design. It is important to design the street network so that routes are where people wish to go and are easy to identify. The existing street pattern and connectivity (the way streets are linked) have been analysed, and new routes have been identified that would increase accessibility around the area.

A new pedestrian and cycle bridge across the Thames to join Oxpens Field to the Thames towpath has been proposed which would link the West End to Osney Mead and the West Oxford Cycle Route. Improvements will also be made to the route running east from the pedestrian bridge over the railway, along Osney Lane and onto Castle Mill Stream. New links will also be created through the development sites at Oxpens and the Westgate Shopping Centre.

Designing Streets to Reduce the Impact of Traffic
Street-design measures such as traffic calming to reduce speeds, 'shared space', pedestrianisation, signal changes and redesigning junctions all help to minimise the impact of traffic on the public realm. Changes to street design and how it affects traffic and motorists' behaviour will be implemented to ensure an attractive environment for pedestrians and cyclists. These measures have  been employed to good effect in the part-pedestrianisation of Queen Street and the implementation of new bus and coach routeing options. Major public realm and traffic improvements will also be a primary consideration in the redevelopment of Frideswide Square and in the creation of a proposed new road through the Oxpens site. Air quality and other impacts that depend on detailed design features (including bus journey times and the street environment) will be tested in detail.

As the West End is highly accessible by walking, cycling and public transport it is appropriate to restrict the amount of parking provision. Managing parking (public, private or residential) will discourage unnecessary car trips to the West End and enable land to be used efficiently. However, public parking clearly contributes to the economic viability of the City centre, so the current level of public parking provision will be maintained. Levels of private residential and non-residential parking will be minimal in the West End and car-free developments will be encouraged.

Urban Public Spaces
At present, the principal urban public spaces in the West End are Bonn Square, Frideswide Square, Gloucester Green and the the Castle Quarter. There are also the important arrival spaces of Gloucester Green Bus Station and Oxford Railway Station. These spaces vary greatly in size, quality and function. The intention of the West End regeneration is to create a series of linked spaces, each with its own feel and function, which will encourage cultural and street activities. It is proposed to enhance, and in some cases redesign, the existing public spaces and to create new ones. For more information about proposals for all public spaces please view section 2 of the West End Area Action Plan.

Green Spaces and Water
At present, there is relatively little publicly accessible green open space in the West End. A network of green spaces will be provided that includes pocket parks and tree-lined streets. This will involve enhancing features that are already there (such as Oxpens Field and Paradise Square) and supplementing them where appropriate. Trees will be planted at key points, in particular along Oxpens Road.

As part of the regeneration, Oxpens Field will be opened up as an inviting recreation area and linking space between Grandpont Nature Park and the City centre. Castle Mill Stream will be also be transformed into an attractive waterside oasis that offers informal recreation: pocket parks at Hythe Bridge Street and Fisher Row have already been created to enhance this important widlife corridor. Continuing to encourage natural banks and planting native aquatic and emergent vegetation will enable new species of plants and animals, such as water voles, to colonise the area. All waterside development proposals will protect or create wildlife habitats along the watercourse.

Read more about the West End's key projects...