Improvements in air quality have reached a key milestone in a busy area of Bicester.
Published: Wednesday, 4th February 2026
On Tuesday, 3 February, a meeting of Cherwell District Council’s executive approved the removal of the air quality management area (AQMA) designation at Kings End and Queens Avenue in Bicester.
Following the revocation of other AQMAs in Banbury and Kidlington, Hennef Way in Banbury is the only remaining AQMA in the district. Cherwell’s work to improve air quality in Bicester in recent years has included new active travel routes, signposting initiatives to promote local walks, and planting throughout the town’s central corridor. Work by Oxfordshire County Council to reroute traffic around the ring road has also contributed to air quality improvements.
Councillor Rob Pattenden, Portfolio Holder for Safer Communities, said: “Air quality is a key environmental and public health issue – it has a proven effect on conditions such as asthma and heart disease. That’s why we keep a close eye on traffic emissions and work to reduce them.
“Over time, as commuters’ habits change and car engines become more efficient, traffic pollution is consistently falling. Being able to revoke the Bicester AQMA is great news for us all, and work will continue to keep air quality moving in the right direction for our residents.”
Because the Bicester AQMA area still experiences high levels of traffic, the council will continue to prioritise monitoring and actions to improve air quality there.
The council measures air quality in the district using diffusion tubes, and the data are recorded every month.
AQMA designations are based on an area’s nitrogen dioxide levels and whether they exceed limits set by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA). At the Bicester AQMA, nitrogen dioxide levels have now been below the DEFRA limit for five years.