Delayed road scheme has gone 'disastrously wrong'

Botley Road in Oxford has been closed since April 2023 because of a Network Rail scheme

A delayed road and rail improvement project has gone "disastrously wrong" and is causing serious damage to the local community, campaigners have said.

Botley Road in Oxford has been closed under the rail bridge since April 2023 because of a £161m Network Rail scheme.

A large collection of personal statements from local people compiled by resident and author Julian Le Vay, who described the community as "angry but powerless", has now been published.

Network Rail acknowledged the delay was "frustrating" and said it was undertaking a full review.

When the rail operator first outlined its plans to expand Oxford station, Botley Road was expected to be shut over two six-month periods, with a six-month break in-between.

But in September 2023, it announced there would be no break because works ran behind schedule.

Then, last July, it said it would not reopen in October as planned. It is yet to confirm a new date.

Works were expected to be completed in October

Speaking to the BBC after the publishing of the new document, entitled Network Hell, Oxford West and Abingdon MP Layla Moran said there had been a "Mexican stand-off of incompetence".

But the latest information she had been given, she said, was that a "final, definitive completion date" would be announced by 25 January, with the rail minister and CEO of Network Rail scheduled to come to Oxford "to see the damage that they've caused".

Mr Le Vay said he compiled the document to "record the actual experiences of local people and publish it in a way that makes it difficult for people in power to ignore".

The 40-page booklet includes testimonies from members of the community and local businesses, and forewords by Ms Moran and Baroness Deech.

Mr Le Vay said people on Botley Road were feeling "angry, depressed, and above all that nobody's listening to them or taking them seriously".

Campaigners have demanded:

• The urgent reopening of the road, with a new plan guaranteed by ministers

• Financial help to keep small businesses afloat

• Practical help for the elderly and disabled

• An independent inquiry

In her introduction, Ms Moran criticised Network Rail's "shambolic mismanagement" of the project and its "profound disruption".

She wrote that it "laid bare the complete lack of accountability and transparency in many of our institutions".

She said the "worries and anger" of residents had fallen on deaf ears, and added: "I hope this book will arrive on the desks of those decision-makers so they can properly understand what residents and businesses have been asked to endure."

Baroness Deech, who lives in the area, said the closure had brought "distress, exhaustion and disruption" to her daily life.

She said the publication was a message to those in charge "that the decisions they take at their computers and behind their desks are mechanical, impersonal, incompetent, unfeeling, and just plain wrong".

Local business owner Zack Iqbal said businesses were "shut off from the rest of the world"

Zack Iqbal, owner of First Stop Spanner Works, who is quoted in Network Hell, told the BBC it was like "this section of Oxford is closed for business, closed for residents, and just basically shut off from the rest of the world".

He said: "Businesses can't sustain those losses indefinitely... what's worse is Network Rail don't have a timetable to open the road, or even a provisional timetable.

"They just seem to have no idea."

The Oxford Bus Company said it had seen up to a 10% decline on some routes, the equivalent of £400,000.

A Network Rail spokesperson said it understood the concerns of businesses and residents.

It said it would continue to engage with local authorities and the local community as it developed its plans following a review, and was running a campaign to support businesses, including producing a video series "to encourage people to shop locally".

An Oxfordshire County County Council spokesperson said it shared the frustrations of those affected, but that it was not responsible for the project.

The Department of Transport said in a statement: "We understand the frustration caused by the closure of Botley Road and recognise the impact on local residents, businesses, and visitors to Oxford. This work, part of the Oxford Station upgrade, will create a safer, more accessible road layout for buses, cyclists and pedestrians.

"We've asked Network Rail for a clear plan to complete the works as quickly as possible, and we'll provide residents and stakeholders with clarity on next steps shortly."