Row over quiet lanes which could include Hanwell to Great Bourton
12/06/2026
The scheme will see vehicles banned from routes, leaving them for walkers, wheelers, cyclists and riders
by Isabella Harris, Local Democracy Reporter
A council row over the proposed locations of new ‘quiet lanes’ has left residents and local businesses uncertain of the future, creating “confusion” about policies they believe could have a “huge direct impact” on them.
A quiet lanes scheme planned by Oxfordshire County Council (OCC) is set to see 10 roads closed to traffic, using gates or bollards, creating routes for cyclists, pedestrians and horse riders where there is an alternative or adjacent available.
The council says there is no set list of where these roads will be, and potential locations will be decided following requests from parish councils.
This claim was thrown into the lurch when Conservative county councillor Thomas Ashby shared screenshots of a council document on social media, which lists locations where there have been “scheme(s) requested/ supported”.
Mr Ashby said: “I’m really curious as to why some local politicians are claiming that there aren’t any proposed pilot sites for quiet lanes.
“There is, there’s a list.”
The county council transport boss Gareth Epps maintains the document, which has since been shared by the BBC as a list of potential lanes, “presents areas where there have previously been expressions of interest or conversations about quiet lanes, but is not a list of proposed or confirmed sites”.
The document contains the following locations, and names of the ward councillors for them:
- Blackthorn Village on Lower Road and Station Road;
- Wendlebury to Chesterton and Weston-on-the-Green on Wendlebury Road;
- Kennington on Bagley Wood Road;
- Radley on Sugworth Lane;
- Curbridge to Lew and Brize Norton on Witney Road;
- Hanwell to Great Bourton on Hanwell Lane;
- Stoke Lyne to Caversfield through Bainton;
- Towersey on minor roads connecting to B445 and A4129;
- Ewelme on Cat Lane / Firebrass Hill;
- Lockinge to Wantage through West Lockinge;
- Combe on Park Road;
- Marston on Elms Drive;
- Longcot on Mailings Lane.
Mr Ashby explained he received the document on May 20, the day after the council cabinet approved the quiet lanes pilot, as his ward was included in it.
He said: “OCC need to be transparent and explain where this list has come from. I feel it important, that if an area is under consideration for this scheme, then the community should be consulted properly.
“If what the council say is true, and schemes need to come from a parish council with support from their county councillor, then this list should not have existed in the first place.”
A council spokesperson said the list was “initially shared with councillors as part of our work to make them aware of conversations that had previously taken place about locations in their area”.
Mr Epps says the pilot scheme is “still in the early stages” and the local authority is “working with parish councils and county council elected members to identify sites and work out if they are feasible to deliver”.
He said: “No new sites have been confirmed, and not all submissions will be successful.”
He added: “Most proposals are expected to be presented to the county council as a direct result of local concerns about traffic flows, speed and safety.”
Bogdan Radu, owner of Greencars on Wendlebury Road, was uncertain about what was happening with the scheme after the road his vehicle repair shop is on was included in the document.
He said a quiet lane would “have a huge direct impact” on his business.
Mr Radu added, “I don’t think it is a good idea”, and noted that he did not know how his customers would be able to access his store.
The business, which has been open for 16 months, is one of several garages and car dealerships based on roads in the list.
There are also several bus routes.
Conservative county leader and South Oxfordshire district councillor Liam Walker said: “I’ve been contacted by residents and businesses who are concerned about the uncertainty these proposals have created.”
He said the sharing of potential locations “without clear communication or local support inevitably causes confusion and worry”.
Julie Adams, from Bainton near Bicester, opposes a scheme in her area, stating there has been “no proper consultation done with all residents or any of the business owners”.
Stuart Gordon said: “If restrictions are put in place, they [drivers] will go to different areas and small towns and villages will suffer the loss of that trade in shops and accommodation.”
Mr Epps said: “Before any sites are trialled, we will expect to see dialogue with local residents and other stakeholders, including businesses such as farms, to understand potential impacts and help to decide whether to continue developing an individual quiet lane.
“If a quiet lane does go ahead as a trial, changes can be made and there will be a public consultation to gather feedback.
“As part of the pilot programme we would not consider a quiet lane on a road where there is a bus route.”
Another place where Mr Epps says there will be no quiet lane in this pilot is Whitney Road from Brize Norton – Curbridge.
He said: “This is not on any list of proposals. It has not been explicitly requested by the parish councils on the route.”
Following his assertion that the road would not be used, Mr Walker and Mr Ashby claimed a “common-sense victory”.
They had opposed the use of the road as a quiet lane after it was included in the council document, along with parish councils for the area.
Mr Epps said: “It is nonsense to suggest that this road is on any list of proposals.
“It is simply untrue, for the simple reason that no parish council will propose it.
“Anything that suggests to the contrary is simply misinformation.”
Amid the back-and-forth, other quiet lane proposals are moving forward, including some in the list.
Radley Parish Council has shared a consultation about Sugworth Lane on Facebook, which states that fears about traffic on the road had been raised since July 2018, and in June 2025 a meeting was held with the county council about “safety concerns”.
The consultation says the parish was approached by the county council “to ask if there was interest in submitting Sugworth Lane as part of the quiet lane pilot”.
Councillor Lynda Crowley said the measure has “received support” from residents on the lane “who think we use our cars too much and we should cycle and walk more”.
If this lane goes ahead, it would involve a six-month pilot with gates “positioned to stop vehicles except emergency services using a road, with the aim to improve safety, accessibility and rural character”.
The parish council’s online poll has been shared in online community groups and is open until 11.59pm on Tuesday, June 16.
Published: by the Banbury FM News Team
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