The county’s transport boss has admitted there is no guarantee of avoiding a repeat of last July’s traffic chaos if the CLA Game Fair returns to Blenheim Palace.
A report into last summer’s country fair has backed plans to bring the event, which attracted more than 150,000 people, back to Woodstock.
The review conducted by the Safety Advisory Group (SAG) for West Oxfordshire suggested traffic problems caused by the fair were “unacceptable”.
But Ian Hudspeth, the county council’s cabinet member for transport, admitted he could not promise similar problems would not happen again.
He said: “We will do everything in our power to avert a repetition, but one can’t say categorically ‘no’.
“Based on the information of the review, we will be working with all the responsible authorities, town and parish councils and the event organisers, to make sure the problems that did occur are addressed.
“However, when you have an event with 20,000 vehicles attending, there’s always going to be some disruption to the local area and traffic.”
The main reason for supporting the return of the game fair was the economic benefits it brought to west Oxfordshire.
The report claimed £13.2m was generated in the local economy by the fair.
Bill Oddy, chairman of the SAG – which is made up of members from local councils and Thames Valley Police – said: “The Country Land and Business Association (CLA), Blenheim Palace and the responsible public authorities apologise for the disruption caused during the Game Fair.
“Although it presents a significant risk and challenge, the organisers and the stakeholders are prepared to meet those challenges. The economy has more of a profile now than it did last year.
“Anything we can do to support the local economy is going to be positive.”
Recommendations include a new traffic management system for big events.
Game Fair chairman David Hough said: “We love to come to Blenheim. It’s been an excellent host for the CLA Game Fair and we believe Oxfordshire is a fantastic location for the event.”
ckearney@oxfordmail.co.uk
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