People who travel through Chichester’s Oaklands Way can now comment on proposed walking and cycling changes, with a public drop-in session taking place on Thursday 15 October. The consultation opened on 8 October; this is a guide to the opportunity still available, rather than a new announcement today.
At a glance
- Consultation closes at 11.55pm on Thursday 19 November 2026.
- Meet the project team at New Park Centre on 15 October, 3.30pm–7.30pm.
- The proposals cover connections serving the university, hospital and Oaklands Park.
- Construction is not confirmed: funding and further design work are still required.
What is proposed?
The current consultation describes a dedicated footway and cycleway on the northern side of Oaklands Way between Northgate Gyratory and College Lane. Proposed changes include raised junction crossings, improved tactile paving and changes at Franklin Place, where an on-road bus stop would replace the existing layby to provide more pavement space.
The council’s project page places the corridor within Chichester’s wider active travel network. It identifies connections with the city centre, Oaklands Park and the university, alongside future improvements around the park. Survey work, a tree assessment and an initial independent road safety review have already informed the preliminary design.
Where to ask questions
The council announcement dated 8 October confirms the drop-in event at New Park Centre. The consultation gives the location as the Studio Room, New Park Road, Chichester, PO19 7XY. No advance registration is needed.
People unable to attend can view the drawings and submit the online survey. Requests for accessible formats can be made to activetravel@westsussex.gov.uk or 01243 642105.
Brighton Locals’ view
A route is most useful when its awkward junctions work as well as its straight sections. Our assessment is that residents should use this consultation to test specific everyday journeys, rather than simply voting for or against cycling improvements in principle. Bus passengers, wheelchair users and people walking with children may notice different issues at the same crossing.
Useful feedback could explain where visibility feels restricted, how boarding a bus would work, or whether the proposed layout makes a regular journey easier. These are questions to examine in the drawings, not claims that the new design has already solved them.
What happens next?
The council will assess responses before further design work. Its project timetable anticipates preliminary design completion in January 2027, with detailed design dependent on funding. A consultation is an opportunity to influence a proposal; it is not a construction start notice.
Image: Oaklands Way roundabout, 22 August 2011, by David Howard, via Wikimedia Commons/Geograph, CC BY-SA 2.0. Archive photograph; not the proposed layout.
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