Oxford Botley Road closure impacting local businesses

Work is under way on a major upgrade to Oxford station

Businesses near a major city centre road that closed for a £161m railway station upgrade have told the BBC their trade is being badly affected.

Botley Road in Oxford closed in April and will not reopen to traffic again until October.

Zak Iqbal, from First Stop Spanner Works, said: "Footfall is down, business is down, and it's looking quite gloomy."

Network Rail says the work will expand Oxford station and improve services.

Pedestrians and cyclists can still access the road, but motorists are advised to take alternative routes.

The redevelopment, which includes work to replace Botley Road bridge, was originally scheduled to start in January but was delayed so the impact could be reviewed.

Oxford station will undergo work to cope with an expected increase in services and passengers

Mr Iqbal, based at the garage in Ferry Hinksey Road, said: "We're just so quiet... we're about 50% down on trade. We've cut costs as much as we can.

"We're relying on the goodwill we've built up with the customers, and customers are still coming to us even though it's much harder for them.

"This garage has been going for 110 years… and lots of businesses around me are in a similar situation."

Matthew Alden, from Aldens Butchers on Osney Mead, estimated delivering to clients would cost an extra £10,000 during the closure.

"It's increased fuel, increased staff, wages, extra hours... which is really unfortunate because we've come through a difficult patch in the hospitality industry over the last few years," he said.

Motorists have been advised to use the park and ride or find alternative routes to Botley Road

A spokesman for Woodlands Pharmacy said its delivery business was busier than ever, but getting prescriptions to customers had been a challenge.

"We work until we finish," he said. "It's relentless."

"The worst part of it is deliveries coming into us... I hope it improves and things become a little more efficient but at the moment it's a bit stressful."

Steve Stuart, proprietor of Warlands Cycles, said: "We have seen a few people coming in to buy cargo bikes and other types of bicycle to beat the congestion, and the confusion, over how they're going to get in and out of town.

"Unfortunately things haven't been on a total even keel which I was hoping for, but nonetheless we haven't had a complete and utter disaster, so small mercies."

Andrew Gant, head of highways at Oxfordshire County Council, said he understood people's frustrations.

He said works on the Wolvercote and Nuneham viaducts, further affecting congestion into the city, had come at an unfortunate time.

He added: "They are three completely different projects run by completely external organisations, so we've just got to do the best we can, and that's what we're trying to do."

He said any businesses affected should contact him.

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