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Is Banbury's economy 'vibrant' or 'dying on its feet'?

Marcus WhiteSouth of England
BBC/Oxfordshire County Council In a composite picture, Gareth Epps gives a TV interview outside while Paul-Austin Sargent poses for an official council portrait. Epps has white hair and a beard. Sargent is also bearded and has brown hair.BBC/Oxfordshire County Council
Oxfordshire county councillors Gareth Epps (left) and Paul-Austin Sargent see a new future for Banbury

In an echo of its famous nursery rhyme landmark, the market town of Banbury is at a crossroads.

Oxfordshire County Council is consulting on a redesign of the town's infrastructure and image.

Councillor Gareth Epps, cabinet member for transport, said it was a chance to build on Banbury's "vibrant economy".

However, local councillor Paul-Austin Sargent said most residents thought the town was "dying on its feet" and argued it needed "bespoke crafts and makers" to attract visitors.

A man wearing an anorak with a hood up passes by a boarded-up Burger King restaurant on a rainy day.
Banbury town centre has several empty shop premises

The independent councillor has written a manifesto for Banbury, under the title "Charting the Void: a market town to maker town".

He said: "We don't have right mix of retail - most residents in Banbury agree with this.

"They feel the town is dying on its feet and we need to do something about it.

"We've got the most superb network of medieval lanes which lend themselves to the most amazing mix of retail.

"What we really ought to be doing is looking at bespoke, artisanal crafts and makers, building a network of shops and things which will generate footfall."

Getty Images A bronze statue of a woman riding a horse at the edge of roundabout. There are planters of colourful orange, yellow and red flowers around another tall statue on the roundaboutGetty Images
Banbury Cross is a famous town landmark

Sargent said the extra visitors would help to support chain stores in the Castle Quay shopping centre.

The retail hub sits on the Oxford Canal, which runs through the town centre.

Councillor Epps wants to "change some of the areas that have historically faced away from the canal and the riverside".

"There's enormous opportunities to connect the two communities either side of the canal and the river and the railway," he told the BBC.

The Oxford Canal, running through Banbury, with several canal boats moored along it. The boat in the foreground is green and white and called "Evening Star".
The Oxford Canal area could be transformed

Epps is upbeat about the town's "really vibrant economy" as well as "some of the best transport connections in the country".

Cherwell District Council is working with the county council on a Banbury Framework Masterplan, building on previous work including the Banbury Vision 2050 Project.

Council leader Lesley McLean, said: "This masterplan will help identify new ways to attract investment, support local enterprise, create jobs and boost the town centre."

Consultants Prior + Partners are expected to report on the plans early in 2027.

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