IT HAS been one of Oxford’s most controversial developments of recent years. But now work has started on the construction of 140 student rooms above St Clement’s car park.

The scheme has been in the pipeline since 2004 and has upset traders in Cowley Road and St Clement’s who are concerned about its impact on trade. On Monday, a temporary 70-space car park in Marston Road opened for business.

But when the Oxford Mail visited it yesterday, there were only four vehicles. And when our reporter visited St Clement’s car park, there were only four spaces available.

Cafe Coco owner Clinton Pugh, who has been leading the battle against the development, said: “Of course the whole thing is very disappointing. “As with many other developments around Oxford, they seem to just bulldoze their way through. We are going to have to try to survive.

“It is going to have a huge effect on the area. There is nowhere to park as it is.”

Building over the car park means that from this week there will be a reduced number of spaces in St Clement’s – 23 instead of 120.

There will be no charge for parking in the new temporary car park for the first two hours.

Motorists leaving their cars at the new car park can use Oxford Bus Company’s No.13 to get to St Clement’s free.

The first hour of parking at St Clement’s will also be free.

Graham Jones, who represents the area on the city council, said: “I am pleased that the city council has made efforts to cooperate with the traders and residents.

“We need to look at the question of parking in the area as a whole anyway.”

Work is being carried out by Watkin Jones, which bought the land from the city council for £5m.

City councillor Colin Cook, the executive member for city development, said: “It will bring much-needed purpose-built student accommodation, freeing up family housing in the city.

“We have put in work which will hopefully mitigate the temporary loss of parking spaces.

“This development will not only be of benefit to the local area but to the wider city and, in the long-term, it will bring more people into St Clement’s.” Construction is expected to be finished by August 2014.