The organiser of the long running Oxford Christmas Market has said she is “devastated” and her business is “now finished” after the county council refused to budge over her request to temporarily close a cycle lane.
Nicole Rahimi, who organised the city’s festive fair for the past 14 years, announced publicly last night that the Oxford Christmas Market as we all know it will not go ahead this year.
The county council put in place tender conditions which required Ms Rahimi to allow the cycle lane through Broad Street to remain open, despite the organiser’s concerns that a “high speed collision” between pedestrians and cyclists could take place.
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Last year, the council was willing to put in place a diversion route which encouraged cyclists to pass through Cornmarket Street and Queen Street.
Speaking exclusively to Ms Rahimi in the wake of her decision to not agree to the tender conditions, she said: “I’m devastated for all the traders, charities, and local businesses.
“This marks the end of my business, which existed to put on this festive market every year.
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“However, in the end I had to put cyclists and pedestrians’ safety first.”
The council has emphasised Ms Rahimi knew the conditions of the tender beforehand.
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It is understood the market could still go ahead with a different organiser and the tender conditions will now be offered to a second bidder.
Ms Rahimi has emphasised that despite knowing the tender conditions beforehand she was encouraged by the city council to still apply to host the event and she believed the county council would be open to negotiating the conditions.
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The market usually pitches up for the first week of December, and includes traders selling everything from food and drinks to novel Christmas decorations.
Ms Rahimi said many cyclists told her they had “no issue dismounting or using a diversion” and she was keen to emphasise that she did not want her intervention to be viewed as an attack on cyclists.
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Instead, Ms Rahimi said: “It is a small handful of cycle groups and councillors who are cyclists who have made this into a bigger issue than it needed to be.”
More than 60 businesses trade at the Oxford Christmas Market and Ms Rahimi told the Oxford Mail exclusively that many business owners had expressed “shock” and “disbelief” when she informed them of her decision to not go ahead with the market yesterday.
Ms Rahimi said that if the road closure had been agreed to for Broad Street, then cyclists would still have been able to pass through before 10am and it would not have been in place for 24 hours.
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Considering the market only runs for three weeks, Ms Rahimi said the county council’s stance had been “unreasonable” and she would "not ever have the opportunity to hold the festive event again".
She said: “I made it clear to the council that if I’m not allowed to go ahead with the market this year then I won’t be running it again next year.
“I cannot afford to just wait around as I would still have to pay for storage for the stalls and for their insurance.”
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An Oxfordshire County Council spokesman Marc Evans previously told the Oxford Mail: “We are working hard with Ms Rahimi and other local stakeholders to alleviate any concerns about this year’s Christmas Market and discussions are ongoing.
"However, the conditions regarding the cycle lane were in place before Ms Rahimi submitted her bid to host the event and there are no plans to alter them.
“The east-west cycle path through Broad Street is a key route and is important to maintain.
"Thousands of cyclists use it every day.
"Although an alternative route was provided last year during the Christmas Market, that option is not available this year.
"This was made clear to Ms Rahimi at the time.
“We are looking at things we can do to improve safety, such as reducing the width of the entrance to the cycle path to reduce bike speeds.
“Similar events have taken place in Broad Street with the cycle route in place, and these have not led to any reports of accidents."
He added: "Another interested party has been invited to submit an application to Oxford City Council.
"The conditions regarding the cycle lane were in place when Ms Rahimi first expressed interest in holding Christmas market.
"The East-West cycle path through Broad Street is key route and is important to maintain.
"Thousands of cyclists use it every day.
"Alternative route provided last year during Christmas Market.
"That option not available this year.
"This was made clear to Ms Rahimi at the time."
Oxford City Council leader Susan Brown said: "Following Ms Rahimi’s decision not to bid to apply to hold the Christmas market, another interested party has been invited to submit an application to Oxford City Council.
"We are keen to ensure Oxford continues to have a thriving Christmas market, providing a great opportunity for independent businesses and bringing extra footfall into the city centre during the busy shopping season.
"It was always made clear throughout the tender process that this year the cycle lane would remain open alongside the Christmas Market, and Ms Rahimi has chosen to withdraw her bid to hold the market."
"As local residents will know, Oxford city centre is small and has lots of competing demands for the space.
"Oxfordshire County Council, which is responsible for road access and restrictions, and Oxford City Council, which is responsible for approving public events, work hard to find the right balance between all those demands.
"Last year, given the short lead-in time, the county council allowed a suspension of the Broad Street cycle route - an important east-to-west route for cyclists through the city centre - for the Christmas market.
"But at the time they made it clear that this would be the last time this key cycle route would be suspended for the Christmas market.
"Nicole Rahimi has had more than 12 months to prepare for this change, and she submitted a proposal to the City Council that included the cycle route through the market.
"Subsequently, midway through the procurement process, she complained to the local media about the inclusion of the cycle route.
"Both the City and County councils had continued to engage Ms Rahimi, as she was the preferred provider, and we are keen to get moving with the planning for this year's event as soon as possible.
"However, now she has withdrawn from the procurement process, we will now move forward to explore alternative options for this year's market."
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Ed specialises in writing political stories for the Oxford Mail and The Oxford Times.
He joined in the team in February 2023, after completing a History undergraduate degree at the University of York and studying for his NCTJ diploma in London.
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