Burford lorry ban: Councillors refer decision back to cabinet

The ban on some lorries driving through Burford will still end on Saturday as planned, the council said

A decision to ban some lorries from driving through a town centre will be looked at again after councillors said they wanted it reconsidered.

HGVs weighing more than 7.5 tonnes have been stopped from driving through parts of Burford since August 2020.

Oxfordshire County Council's cabinet member for travel Duncan Enright decided last month the authority would not extend a trial beyond Saturday.

A panel referred his decision to end the measure to the council's cabinet.

Burford residents wanted the ban to continue but others in nearby towns and villages said they had been badly affected by offset traffic.

A total of 14 county councillors said before Wednesday's meeting that they wanted the decision taken by Mr Enright reviewed

Mr Enright decided on 5 January that the council would look to introduce a countywide freight scheme to address problems as soon as possible.

He concluded that criteria set by the council at the start of the trial to measure its success had not been met.

But 14 county councillors, led by Burford councillor Nicholas Field-Johnson, said they wanted the decision looked at again.

Of 395 responses received by the county council after a consultation, 213 opposed the trial continuing or had concerns about its impact. Another 180 were supportive.

At a meeting on Wednesday, the council's place overview and scrutiny committee sent the decision back to the cabinet for further consideration.

Despite that, the trial will still end as planned at the weekend.

Trade bodies, including the Road Haulage Association and Logistics UK, were opposed to the lorry ban.

Thames Valley Police and Gloucestershire County Council were also against it.