Evening Walk: A Transit Hub At Oxpens?
To explore the potential for a new station and transport hub at Oxpens, a group of us met at Folly Bridge and walked upstream on the south side of the river to the top of Marlborough Street. This was the site of the original railway line and Grandpont station and the associated bridges across the Thames. We crossed the river on the old railway bridge (a sturdy example of architecture built to last) and then along the north side of the river to where the southern end of the proposed railway station land could be seen through a heavy metal fence on our right. We continued along this long boundary until we reached Gibbs Crescent and Mill Street, pausing to look at Osney Mill. From there we crossed over the line by the steeply stepped footbridge to the back of the Royal Mail Delivery Office; this is the west end of the wedge of land proposed for railway relocation. We explored possible access routes for pedestrians, and discussed the relative merits of approaching via Castle Street, or through St Thomas’s, or down Park End Street as at present. We will need to revisit this site when the West End Development project is more advanced and access routes for buses, taxis, cars and cycles have received more attention. We are grateful to Felicity for leading the walk and telling us more about this area of Oxford.