Here is a full and detailed summary of Oxfordshire County Council’s (OCC) formal response to planning application 24/00539/F (Oxford United stadium proposal), dated 30 May 2025:
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OVERALL POSITION
No Objection from OCC — subject to a large suite of planning conditions and over £5 million in S106 financial contributions. OCC recognises the strategic transport benefits of the location and supports the proposal from a transport and drainage perspective.
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TRANSPORT: Local Highway Authority Assessment
Strategic Overview
The site is highly sustainable, with strong access to public transport and planned upgrades through wider growth projects.
OCC praises the vision-led transport strategy that promotes modal shift away from car use — aligning with local and national policies.
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Highway & Traffic Impact
Micro-simulation traffic modelling (including weekday AM/PM peaks and Saturday matchdays) shows:
Some delays, particularly during weekday evenings, but no "severe" impact per NPPF paragraph 116.
The worst case scenarios showed short-term journey delays (e.g. 889 seconds on Route 3 during one evening hour).
Impacts are only for short periods and 28 times a year on average.
OCC supports mitigation including VMS, average speed cameras, and matchday diversions.
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Highway Works via Section 278
OCC requires:
3 new signalised pedestrian/cycle crossings (Frieze Way, Oxford Road, A44).
Bus laybys, reduced speed limits (Frieze Way to 40mph), and new shared-use footways.
Steps from Oxford Road to Oxford Parkway Station with lighting and signage.
Hostile Vehicle Mitigation infrastructure to protect pedestrians during road closures.
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S106 Contributions (Transport-related) — Total: £5,062,161
Some key items:
£1.83M for new mobility hub at Oxford Airport
£932K for Cowley Branch Line
£722K for bus service upgrades
£587K for active travel at Oxford Parkway junction
Matchday CPZs, enforcement, speed and signage management, VMS, ticket machines, bus stops, cycle parking, and travel plan monitoring
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Parking Strategy
161 car spaces on site (41 EV, 80 accessible matchday).
Controlled Parking Zones (CPZs) to be created up to 3km from the stadium.
OCC accepts limited matchday use of Oxford Parkway parking with mitigation:
Higher pricing
Post-match holds
Communication/VMS to discourage it
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Public & Rail Transport
The site is served by 26 buses/hour plus matchday shuttles to all Park & Rides.
Rail connections strong now and will improve significantly with:
East West Rail (by 2033)
Cowley Line (by 2030)
Potential new stops (Begbroke Science Park, Grove)
OCC is supportive of public transport-inclusive match tickets and real-time travel info systems.
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Cycling
446 cycle bays at the stadium, 75 at Oxford Parkway.
Acceptable to OCC and compliant with LTN 1/20 standards.
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Crowd Management & Road Closures
Oxford Road diversion 35 minutes pre- and post-match is required for crowd safety and supported by:
Bus access “airlock” system
Marshals and signage
HVM (hostile vehicle mitigation) installations are required.
Evacuation strategy, signage strategy, car park strategy all required as conditions.
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Conditions Required
Construction Traffic Management Plan (CTMP)
Full Travel Plans for all uses (stadium, hotel, gym, etc.)
Public transport information system
Evacuation and crowd/traffic management strategies
Car and cycle parking details
Communication strategy for local residents
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FLOODING & DRAINAGE
No objection from the Lead Local Flood Authority, subject to drainage strategy and design conditions.
Applicants must consider comments from Thames Water and Cherwell District Council drainage officer.
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SUMMARY STATEMENT
OCC strongly supports the application’s transport approach, stating:
> “The sustainable location, combined with the proposed transport strategy... offers fans and Oxfordshire residents the opportunity to travel sustainably to a site situated in an area of growth with an already high-quality integrated transport network.”
It concludes:
Traffic delays are short-term and limited in frequency.
The proposal is aligned with local growth and sustainability ambitions.
No objection is made on transport or flooding grounds.
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