Businesses and councillors spoke out after the leader of Oxford City Council, Susan Brown, contributed to a House of Lords report from about the transformation of the county’s high streets, and submitted examples from Oxford.
The report concluded that the dominance of retail was over, and that there was more demand for restaurants, cafes and leisure spaces as well as more public services like health centres and libraries in the town centre.
While the report highlights national issues, city businesses argue that the situation in Oxford is particularly bad.
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Councillor Susan Brown said: “[This report] recognises that high streets can no longer be seen as exclusively retail environments and that local authorities must adapt quickly, working with businesses and communities, to shape high streets that are vibrant, resilient, and meet local needs.
“In Oxford, we’ve embraced this challenge through initiatives like our City Centre Action Plan, by regenerating the Covered Market, and through targeted support for independent businesses.
“While we’ve made progress, there is still a lot to do.
“We need sustained investment, simplified funding mechanisms, and continued collaboration to ensure our high streets remain the heart of their communities for generations to come.”
(Image: Jon Lewis) Ms Brown also told the committee that reducing car journeys and increasing cycling options could coexist with a thriving city centre, and that footfall and spending levels had gone up.
Jeremy Mogford, who owns a number of hotels and restaurants in Oxford including the Old Bank Hotel, the Old Parsonage and Quod Restaurant, said: “There is a disregard for businesses and shopping and high street from the local councils, and they hide behind the complete and utter nonsense of footfall.
“It is a complete myth that footfall transforms the economic picture of the city.
“We are under siege.”
While Mr Mogford acknowledged that other factors such as the rise of online shopping and the pandemic would have had an impact on businesses, he said: “Oxford is not your average high street – it is different because the situation is much worse”.
He added that the closure of Botley Road and the addition of low traffic neighbourhoods (LTNs) in East Oxford have had “a detrimental effect on the economic and cultural vibrancy of the city”.
He said: “The people who live outside the ring road have always been the source of commerce for the city, but many of them now feel like they cannot get into Oxford.”
He said: “There is a change in the makeup of businesses and associated activities in Oxford, which was inevitable after covid and the growth of online businesses.
“We now see many more restaurants and cafes, which has helped to keep footfall at a reasonable level.
“There are, also, many short-term touristy pop-up shops, which have replaced many specialist shops, which, sadly, you have to venture out of the city to find in the market towns.”
The report notes that access to the high streets by car and sufficient parking spaces is essential for the commercial sustainability of high street businesses.
Bernadette Evans, spokesperson for Oxford Business Action Group, said: “It’s an eye-watering £19 to park for two hours in parts of Oxford, and it’s no surprise this creates barriers that deter customers from visiting our high streets to do their errands.
“There are numerous examples of vibrant UK high streets with lots of independent brands, and it’s notable that in most cases affordable and accessible car parking is key to their appeal.
“We’ve all seen how busy Bicester Village retail park is and this is partly due to how accessible it is and that the parking is free.”
County councillor Ian Snowdon, who owns Versus Hairdressers on Cowley Road, said traffic measures had a particular impact on businesses in East Oxford.
He said: “Whilst it is a positive that the challenges facing our high streets are being scrutinised, here in East Oxford small retailers are facing the double whammy of having both city and county councils seemingly against them.
“I’ve owned a small business for nearly 30 years, and it has been so sad to see so many hardworking business owners forced to shut their doors because of the negative effects of our councils.
“It adds salt to the wounds when those making these decisions fail again and again to engage with small businesses.”
He added that the Conservative Group in the county council had tried repeatedly to create a small business champion role for this reason.
City councillor Saj Malik said: “Oxford’s retail and hospitality sector isn’t just about the city centre – there are hundreds of businesses all over the city who feel the council doesn’t support them and it’s as though the decline of the high street is being allowed to happen.
“In my ward of Temple Cowley, we have some really great businesses – some of them have been here for decades – but shockingly the council now wants to take away all their customer parking on Hollow Way.
“This is the kind of thing which is killing off our high streets
“All we’ll be left with is cafes and tourist shops if the council doesn’t change its attitude.”
A spokesperson for Oxfordshire County Council said: “The county council’s travel policies are designed to make it easier for people to travel into and around Oxford, protect the environment and make the county a better place to live for all residents.
“The policies are set out in the council’s local transport and connectivity plan and central Oxfordshire travel plan.
“The fact that the House of Lords has undertaken a report of the decline of retail in high streets shows that this is a national, rather than a particularly local phenomenon.”
Oxford City Council said they encourage people to use Park & Rides, which remain “the most affordable and quickest way into Oxford”.