A PLAN for changes to Oxford roads which could last two years so a £30m hotel can be built has been agreed by councillors.

Oxford City Council's West Area planning committee decided to approve measures for the demolition and building of the new hotel on Paradise Street.

More than 100 people were initially opposed to the 140-bedroom hotel being built, with some claiming St Thomas's Street would be too narrow to cope with traffic it would bring to the area.

The Courtyard by Marriott hotel got planning permission earlier this year and should be completed by 2019.

It will replace the old Cooper Callas building, which is widely regarded as an eyesore and was built in the early 1960s.

An initial plan for the Construction Traffic Management Plan, which could last until the hotel is finished, included a proposal for lorries to stop off at the Welcome Break Services at Peartree Roundabout.

But Welcome Break has said its site is 'too constrained to accommodate any large vehicles'.

As a result lorry drivers will use lay-bys on the A34 on both the northbound and southbound sides of the carriageway. That measure is supported by Oxfordshire County Council.

It is understood demolition work will begin in December and could last for three months.

When work starts, plywood hoardings up to 2.6m tall will be put up around the site’s boundary. A Luffing tower crane, which are typically used in small building sites, will also be used.