‘How do we stop growth overwhelming the town?’

THAME’S future growth will undoubtedly put pressures on the the local roads and parking, and Thame Town Council has been explaining the challenges the town faces ahead of next week’s public meeting to debate transport issues.

The town council’s Neighbourhood Plan Continuity Officer, Graham Markland, said today: “Thame will continue to grow considerably in terms of its population over the next few years. New housing and employment developments are either completed or underway and it is expected that we will have to accommodate even more. There will be further additional pressure on our town centre and highways from recent and potential growth in surrounding villages. Haddenham, for example, could double in size over the next 15 years. How do we stop this growth overwhelming the town?

“Transport planning is one important area that we are now focusing on. With both pressures on budgets and arguments around how local government will be provided across Oxfordshire, no-one else will be looking at Thame in a holistic way. How will we join walking & cycling with parking and public transport? How will we manage Thame’s traffic?”

The Agenda for Tuesday’s meeting is as follows:
· Terms of reference explained
· Crossovers with Thame Green Living Plan and 21st Century Thame
· Correspondence received on Transport matters from Thame residents/visitors, e.g. on cycle safety, 20 mph zones, safety on specific roads, parking
provision for market vehicles. Correspondence received from Oxfordshire County Council, attempting to absolve themselves from certain
responsibilities.

· Project frameworks –

o Walking and cycling framework
o Parking provision framework
o Public transport framework
o Traffic management framework

· Framework coordinators
· S106 funds arising from developments
· Watching briefs – Haddenham expansion, Oxford-Cambridge Expressway

Tuesday’s meeting will begin at 6.30pm.