Concerns have been raised over the evidence used in an Oxfordshire car park to homes plan.

Councillor Liam Walker has challenged data underpinning West Oxfordshire District Council’s plan to convert Woodford Way Car Park into homes and has called for it to be delayed until more can be gathered.

A question submitted recently by Mr Walker and answered by Lidia Arciszewska, executive member for environment, saw the average occupancy data for Woodford Way (80 per cent) broken down into actual data points.

Reacting to this, the leader of the Oxfordshire Conservatives said: “Having gone through the data in detail, I’m seriously concerned about how these figures have been put together.

“The occupancy data used to justify these plans dates back to 2022/23, which is already out of date.

“More worryingly, every single data point appears to have been collected on weekdays and there isn’t a single Saturday included.

“That completely skews the picture, as weekends are often some of the busiest times for parking in this area.”

Liam Walker at Woodford Way Car Park (Image: Liam Walker)

A number of options have been considered in relation to the scheme with current plans to deliver 55 homes and reduce public parking from around 250 to 84 public spaces.

In a recent update on social media the district council acknowledged the discussion around its plans and said that Woodford Way had long been allocated for housing.

A spokesperson said: “Because it’s council-owned land, we can prioritise the delivery of 100 per cent social rented homes in Witney because we don’t have to build in a profit margin.”

Woodford Way Car Park photographed in January 2026 (Image: Ed Nix)

However, Mr Walker has suggested an ANPR camera is installed for at least a four-week period to gather more data.

He said: “Decisions like this shouldn’t be based on incomplete or selective evidence we need robust data before they move forward with any development plans at Woodford Way.”

The scheme has, however, received the backing of local Witney MP Charlie Maynard, who called it “practical”.

Charlie Maynard MP (Image: HoP)

Citing nearby car park Marriotts Walk, the Liberal Democrat said: “It’s inconvenient for me as it is for everyone else for the Woodford Way Car Park to go, but when I go up the stairs for Marriotts Walk I will think that there are families that need those homes.”

Indeed, part of the argument for developing Woodford Way is that there is spare capacity at the Marriotts Walk car park.

Data between January and December 2025 for Marriotts Walk indicates average occupancy levels of 62 per cent, leaving 224 spaces free.

It was a point Mr Maynard raised when he backed the scheme saying that he’d been assured that there would still be space after Woodford Way is converted into homes.

Mr Walker said the MP is not taking into account the 18,000 homes in the pipeline in West Oxfordshire, a target mandated by the national government.

He added that it would be “devastating” for Witney town centre.