Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
Oxfordshire is the most rural district in the county with a population of around 96,000, and
the only town of size being Witney.
The city of Oxford itself has a population of 151,900 (Oxford City Council, 2011) and is
a 'county town' that serves a wider sub-regional hinterland, referred to as 'Central Oxfordshire'.
The ring of market towns and dormitory settlements is around 10-15 miles from the city.
Settlements on the east and south sides of the county are very accessible to London (Oxford
is around 60 minutes from London Paddington, and Didcot around 45 minutes, so within a
daily commute). Neighbouring major urban areas include Reading, Swindon and Milton
Keynes.
In terms of land-use planning history, the Oxford Green Belt was designated in 1956 and
has led to a relatively effective containment of the Oxford urban area. So much so that the
perceived problems now are in the constraint in housing supply within Oxford, particularly
in view of housing affordability, and the longer travel distances involved in travelling into
Oxford from beyond the green belt. Of course the counterfactual is seldom considered - a
sprawling Oxford would have brought other problems in terms of reduced urban quality and
Figure 4.3
Map of Oxford, in the late nineteenth century
Source
: From
Our Own Country
, published 1898/Private collection/Ken Welsh/The Bridgeman Art Library.
