During the past few days, parishioners may have read media reports stating that Sunningwell Road and/or Green Lane being selected as part of the Oxfordshire County Council (OCC) Quiet Lane Pilot Scheme. The BBC and the Oxford Mail, in their coverage of the story, quoted information published on the OCC website.
Quiet Lanes are minor rural roads where through-traffic is discouraged and walkers, cyclists and horse-riders are given greater priority, with the aim of making the lanes safer and more pleasant to use.
Sunningwell Parish Council (SPC) did not make a formal application to be part of the pilot scheme. The following outlines the sequence of events leading up to OCC’s announcement.
SPC received information about the Quiet Lanes Pilot Project after the agenda had already been published for the Parish Council meeting held on Thursday, 28 May 2026. In her report, the Clerk noted that the Council had received a communication inviting parishes to participate in a pilot scheme. Councillors agreed that they would seek further information about the scheme.
On 3 June 2026, SPC wrote to OCC to express an interest in the Quiet Lanes scheme and to request further information. It was suggested that SPC summarise their interest by entering basic details on a document called “Quiet lanes programme expression of interest application form” which was done. However, SPC did not make a formal application to join the pilot. We were assured that expressing an interest did not commit the Parish to submitting a formal application.
On 24 June 2026, councillors became aware that Sunningwell Parish had been selected for the pilot when the Oxford Mail published a report based on the announcement made on the OCC website. OCC had not approached SPC to discuss our expression of interest or responded to our request for further information. Nor did OCC notify Sunningwell Parish Council they had made a public announcement about parish applications to the scheme.
At the Parish Council meeting on 25 June 2026, councillors resolved to write to OCC to withdraw from the pilot scheme. However, we are still interested in further information about the scheme and development of it following the initial pilot.
We know from the work undertaken by parishioners during the preparation of the Neighbourhood Plan that traffic and transport are major concerns for many residents. We also recognise that parishioners hold differing views on the measures that could be adopted to make the Parish safer and to address current and future traffic challenges.
During the autumn, the Parish Council intends to consult with residents to build on the work undertaken through the Neighbourhood Plan and begin considering the options that the Parish may wish to pursue in the future to address traffic and transport issues.
If you are not familiar with the draft Neighbourhood Plan policies, they can be viewed in the https://sunningwell-pc.gov.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Policies-Consultation-Introduction.pdf Links to the traffic and transport policies can be found on page 3. It is not too late to have your say by completing the feedback form.
We are grateful to the five parishioners who attended last week’s Parish Council meeting and for the constructive contributions they made. They represented both concerns about and support for the Quiet Lanes scheme.
If you have any questions or concerns, please contact the Parish Clerk at clerk@sunningwell-pc.gov.uk.
Sunningwell Parish Council
1 July 2026