We are working to develop a vision for Banbury town centre to ensure it meets the needs of residents, businesses and visitors up to 2050.
Our Banbury 2050 programme will help us identify actions that will support the town centre to revitalise, flourish by being a more accessible, welcoming, safer and an attractive place for all to live, work, study, shop and enjoy.
We understand that town centres are changing and must adapt to the challenges and opportunities of the twenty first century. This essential project will enable us to get prepared and set a direction of travel for Banbury in the coming years.
From November 2023 to January 2024, we asked for people’s views on the town centre using an online survey designed with Hemingway Design. We engaged with Banbury residents, businesses and visitors to find out what they liked, what could be improved and what things Banbury needed to make it a better place in the future.
Our survey received 2,729 responses with the greatest response being from people aged between 45-64 years old. Those aged under 25 made up 10% of the responses which has helped us to hear directly from young people. We also ran workshops that were attended by 150 people from local schools, businesses, and community groups. All this data is being analysed and will help inform and contribute to a new vision supporting Banbury’s town centre to flourish through to 2050.
We have published the initial analysis which highlights potential core themes for the vision. These themes include a Banbury town centre that is vibrant, safe, clean, green, fun, independent and a great destination.