Business leaders claimed today that the Oxford Transport Strategy was costing traders more than £1m a month in lost revenue, writes Karen Rosine.

They said the new traffic scheme was keeping large numbers of shoppers out of the city and putting small specialist shops at risk.

At a press conference, they promised: "We will not rest until we have rescued Oxford from this disaster."

They spoke out after a survey of 983 firms and colleges by Wenn Townsend, chartered accountants, into the effects of the controversial £20m strategy which included the closure of High Street and Cornmarket Street. Julian Blackwell, whose grandfather founded Blackwell's Bookshop in Oxford and who is now president of the firm, said: "I want to announce the creation of a new organisation to rescue Oxford - ROX for short. Its aims are once again to make Oxford a prosperous, attractive and friendly city; a place we like and love.

"Oxford is hurting. Business is down, visitors complain that we are unfriendly, other towns are chasing our customers.

"Quietly, steadily, inexorably, many of the smaller specialist independent retailers are being driven out, closed down, squeezed out. "People who live around Oxford are being put off, established businesses are considering quitting the city. It is time to rescue Oxford from this fate."

The survey was unveiled at a press conference at the Randolph Hotel attended by many of Oxford's main businesses.

The results show that 87.5 per cent of retailers said the OTS was damaging the economic and commercial vitality of the city, a view endorsed by 73.3 per cent of restaurateurs.

Further results show that 80 per cent were dissatisfied with the OTS, 61 per cent wanted it significantly amended, and 20 per cent wanted it scrapped entirely. Fewer than one in five - only 17 per cent - wanted to keep the present scheme.

Cllr John Tanner, leader of Oxford City Council, said: "It is not an independent survey. It is self-selecting and run by Julian Blackwell, a renowned opponent of the strategy, and so I take a lot of its findings with a pinch of salt."

Story date: Wednesday 08 December

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