OXFORD is one of the few historic English towns which continues to allow large volumes of traffic into its centre, a public inquiry heard today.

Barrister Adrian Trevelyn-Thomas, representing Oxford City Council and Oxfordshire County Council, told the hearing into the Oxford Transport Strategy that traffic had been an issue in the city going back to just after the Second World War.

He said: "Although this is an inquiry into objections to our orders, many people living and working in Oxford would argue that much of what is proposed has come much later than it should have done.

"Oxford plainly is an important city, famous architecturally and historically, and as a matter of record is one of few historic towns which is not significantly pedestrianised and which continues to allow so much traffic into its historic centre."

He was speaking on the first day of the inquiry, expected to last three weeks and will hear from both councils and those objecting to the proposals.

The councils propose to close off some streets to traffic or to put restrictions on others between certain hours.

The most obvious changes will be to close Cornmarket Street to buses and to stop most traffic using the High Street.

Mr Trevelyn-Thomas told the hearing that all the recent changes and everything that was proposed was, in the council's view, 100 per cent consistent with the Transport Policy set out by the Government.

The hearing continues.

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