Banbury Chamber of Commerce Live event to focus on connectivity

The call comes from Banbury and District Chamber of Commerce, which says development plans mean the town’s businesses must be prepared for a major growth in population and employment over the next generation.

Chamber bosses say local authority development plans mean Banbury can expect to see about 7,000 extra homes go up over the next 13 years while a further 120 acres of land will be used for the construction of business units.

The growth proposals will also see town centre developments including Castle Quay 2, Canalside and at Bolton Road, with other improvements overseen by the newly formed Business Improvement District.

Now the chamber is urging business leaders to attend a conference to examine the challenges posed by the expected growth.

Neil Wild, chamber board member, said: “With our increasing demand for accessibility, services and resources within Banbury and across the region, we need to ensure the required social and physical infrastructure is in place to improve this connectivity as the town and region grows.”

The chamber will host BCOC Live on November 22 at Banbury Town Hall from 9am to 2pm with speakers addressing the theme A Better Connected Banbury.

Among the speakers will be Sally Dicketts, principal at Activate Learning, who said: “It’s great the chamber is helping the Banbury community focus on connectivity issues.”

She added: “I will be delighted to be speaking at the event, emphasising our role in promoting its value across the region.”

Other speakers include Kate Nesbit from Banbury BID, Chris Hipkiss, development director at Cherwell District Council, Rob Hutt, recruitment specialist with Mayday Employment, Nigel Tipple, chief executive of OXLEP, and Eric Owens, assistant director of growth at Oxfordshire County Council.

Any businesses that would like to attend should register at www.banburychamber.com/event/bcoc-live.