Oxford Botley Road closed for 'another year', leader says

Liberal Democrat county council leader Liz Leffman gave an interview this morning on BBC Radio Oxford where she made the remark Botley Road would be closed for another year as part of ongoing works at the train station.

But a spokesman for the county council responded saying the leader had been "highly speculative" with her comments on the live broadcast. 

This comes as Network Rail told the Oxford Mail just last week it would "provide an update on timescales for the next steps of the project as soon as we’re able".

Liz Leffman. (Image: Oxfordshire County Council.)

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A county council spokesman had said at the time the authority was waiting for confirmation on "if work will continue and when it will be complete".

Botley Road - the main road into Oxford from the west - has been closed since April 2023 as part of the re-development of Oxford Station, a £116 million project.

It was supposed to reopen temporarily from October 2023 to March 2024 but delays forced Network Rail to re-think and announce the closure would continue until October 2024.

Work at Botley Road, Oxford. (Image: Network Rail)

The rail authority then announced earlier this month there would be further delays owing to the unforeseen "complexity" of the project.

In a conversation about infrastructure and rail services in Oxfordshire, Ms Leffman said to the radio host, Sophie Law: "I do agree the Botley Road situation is appalling and we're very very disappointed that Network Rail has had to put that back by a year.

"It's really quite unreasonable that that should have happened."

What Oxford Station could look like once works are done. (Image: Network Rail)

The radio host said: "I just want to go back to Botley Road a minute there.

"Do you know something we don't because all we know is that it's not going to be October? You said delayed by a year there."

Ms Leffman responded: "Well it looks like certainly it's going to be around a year we believe."

Independent Temple Cowley city councillor Saj Malik told us: "Liz Leffman’s slip of tongue let this story out.

"This is basically very dishonest.

Saj Malik. (Image: Oxford City Council.)

"It is disaster news."

Conservative county councillor Liam Walker added: "It was an astonishing revelation to hear this morning from the county council leader who just casually dropped into her radio interview that the Oxford Station upgrades could be delayed for a year.

"It highlights the total disregard she has for residents and businesses that the council is not properly again updating people on this project."

A county council spokesman said: "The figure of one year mentioned by Councillor Leffman was largely speculative.

"It was based on assumptions that have been made about the project so far and the likely timescales involved in securing the rail blockade required to replace the Botley Road rail bridge.

"The exact timescale for reopening the road is still to be decided by Network Rail and the Department for Transport.

Liam Walker. (Image: West Oxfordshire District Council.)

"As previously stated, our traffic filters trial will remain on hold until after Network Rail completes its work."

Traffic filters trial will see six roads in Oxford cut off to private cars and they were previously planned to go live in November this year.

We approached Network Rail for comment and they provided the same statement they had last week which says a "full review" is being undertaken on the programme and "an update on timescales for the next steps of the project" will be provided "as soon as we’re (they're) able".