Oxfam objects to car dealership moving in

2:00pm Monday 18th February 2013 in News Photograph of the Author By Damian Fantato, covering Summertown, Jericho and North Oxford. Call me on 01865 425429

A LARGE Audi dealership is set to become the first car showroom on an Oxford business park.

Plans have been submitted for one of the plots on Oxford Business Park, off Garsington Road near the Eastern Bypass.

The site will include a two-storey Audi dealership which will house workshops and MOT bays.

There will also be 177 parking spaces for customers, staff, workshops and car sales.

Oxford Business Park is currently home to businesses such as publishing company Wiley and law firm Henmans LLP.

Graham Jones, of retail campaign group ROX, admitted it was unusual to have a car dealership in the business park.

But he added: “Although it is a business park you have got to fill all the spaces and a little bit of variety cannot be a bad thing.”

In its application Ridgeway Garages, which is relocating its Oxford Audi dealership from Kidlington, says other Audi dealerships have successfully opened on business parks.

It says: “The motor industry is clearly an important part of Oxford’s heritage and continues to play an important role in employment within the city.

“This is not a speculative proposal, it is a scheme backed by one of the world’s leading motor manufacturers and will deliver a high quality development as well as both safeguarding and creating a significant number of new jobs which will be of considerable benefit to the local economy.”

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It is estimated the dealership will employ 72 people.

But international charity Oxfam GB, based across the road from the proposed site, has objected to the scheme saying it is unsustainable.

In a statement to the city council the charity said: “Oxfam opposes this application for reasons of the lack of sustainable travel options in this business park.

“As a car dealership the purpose and method of transportation is essentially by car, especially for customers, for which we already have significant congestion in this area.”

Hollow Way resident Gary Brimson has also objected. He said: “As anyone using Garsington Road knows at certain times of day the traffic congestion is absolutely horrendous and no amount of written evidence can actually show this.

He added: “The car emissions around this area at those times must be one of the highest in Oxford.

“If this development goes ahead I would like to see beforehand air quality surveys undertaken and a prolonged transport assessment of the area.”

A decision on the planning application will be made by a committee of city councillors at a date to be set.

Comments(18)

Dilligaf2010 says...
2:13pm Mon 18 Feb 13

What's the problem, it's a luxury car dealership, not a supermarket.
How much traffic do these people think it's going to create?

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zimmer, Wolvecote. says...
2:39pm Mon 18 Feb 13

Bye Bye to my Oxfam donations. Do they not realise that the Motor factory is where they are now sited, once was. By the way a Taxi driving friend of mine tells me that from Oxford Station the most number of people going to the business park go to Oxfam, they always take a receipt at £12 a pop, there is where our donations are going. What is wrong with the No 5 bus from the station and a five minute walk, if Oxfam are so concerned about vehicular movements within the business park?

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Paul0 says...
3:07pm Mon 18 Feb 13

So it was all right for Oxfam to move from their Summertown offices, which had frequent buses stopping right outside, to a business park that's harder to reach by public transport and clearly located so as to be reached easily by car? That didn't create any more traffic, obviously.

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redstone says...
3:09pm Mon 18 Feb 13

Audi have a showroom overlooking the elevated section of A4 going into London - always try and sneak a look while parked in traffic congestion. It's a real eye-catcher. Hope they do the same here with an upstairs showroom. Bet BMW are happy over the road!!

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xjohnx says...
3:11pm Mon 18 Feb 13

Stuff Oxfam. To many very highly paid executive wages taken from our dotations. Now more a corporate business than a proper charity.

I worked with them and other big charities in Africa and the Indian Subcontinent.

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BigAlBiker says...
3:19pm Mon 18 Feb 13

Oxfam can go whistle in the wind, anything which creates jobs is a good thing, and like others who have said, what was there for years before it turned into a fancy estate??? yes a car factory.

Boo to Oxfam.

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Patrick in Devon says...
3:33pm Mon 18 Feb 13

A light rail link from the station to Cowley is long overdue methinks.

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Sophia says...
3:47pm Mon 18 Feb 13

Tell Audit they are welcome and tell those self regarding PC mad hypocrites at Oxfam to get stuffed, and focus on what they are supposed to do, tackling 3rd world poverty

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Sophia says...
3:47pm Mon 18 Feb 13

Tell Audit they are welcome and tell those self regarding PC mad hypocrites at Oxfam to get stuffed, and focus on what they are supposed to do, tackling 3rd world poverty

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bart-on simpson says...
4:30pm Mon 18 Feb 13

Hope the car dealership goes ahead here - otherwise they'll be off to Swindon or Bicester.

Why don't Oxford's institutions like Oxfam and the Civic Society not want employment opportunities?

Surely a job is the fastest way out of poverty.

Puts Oxfam in a very poor light.

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Lord Palmerstone says...
5:42pm Mon 18 Feb 13

I work in Kidlington. I take it Oxfam thinks it's ok for me to be congested etc.Truth to tell I never see anyone in the Audi showrooms and can't figure who they flog these things to. If I had 60k I'd be sad if I couldn't think of something better to do with it.

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Andrew:Oxford says...
6:26pm Mon 18 Feb 13

"Oxfam opposes this application for reasons of the lack of sustainable travel options in this business park."

What utter nonsense.

The business park is served by the No1, No5, No10, No12, No12C, No16, No16A No20, No89, No101, No103 & No104. The U5 & U5X call within a short walk.

There is a cycle path linking the business park to Redbridge & Thornhill park and ride facilities too.

The only thing that is missing is light rail - but, as many people are aware, the underpass that links M&S with the business park was designed with a rail link in mind. (You can see the former rail curve that linked to the works behind Tesco if you look at Google Maps).

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King Joke says...
6:42pm Mon 18 Feb 13

Paul0 is spot on - Oxfam moved to the Business Park specifically because there was easier car access than at Summertown. I bet their journey-to-work emissions increased five-fold the day they moved.

If they now object to another company moving onto the same site, they are showing themselves up as hypocritical merchant-bankers.

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marym says...
12:45pm Tue 19 Feb 13

There is a difference between bus services being available and these being attractive enough to encourage people to ditch their cars. I work at the business park and know people who could theoretically take the train but decide not to as it takes so long to get across Oxford on the bus. When the business park was originally planned, there was supposed to be a bus coming into the park itself, which I understand bus companies were unwilling to offer.

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Andrew:Oxford says...
1:06pm Tue 19 Feb 13

marym wrote:
There is a difference between bus services being available and these being attractive enough to encourage people to ditch their cars. I work at the business park and know people who could theoretically take the train but decide not to as it takes so long to get across Oxford on the bus. When the business park was originally planned, there was supposed to be a bus coming into the park itself, which I understand bus companies were unwilling to offer.
If Oxfam are prepared to sponsor a service, I can see no reason why Thames Travel/Oxford Bus Company would refuse to operate an X39A service from Reading & Wallingford via Garsington Road.

If any bus were to trundle round the business park, then onto the other side before going into Oxford - the workers would vote with their feet and head out the back gates to pick up the 1/5 or 10/U5 to save themselves 10 minutes.

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King Joke says...
1:07pm Tue 19 Feb 13

THe bus services to very near the Business Park (at Barns Rd) are very good for certain destinations like the City Centre, but as Mary points out, are not attractive for others like the railway station.

Another hole is bus access to the County towns like Bicester and Witney, where many employees commute in from. THe proposed Bicester-JR services need to be extended to the Business Park in due course, as well as faster services to the station being provided, or maybe a light rail link along the Cowley Branch Line.

Sadly there is no chance of bus services onto the Park itself; the bus companies would provide them but the owner Goodman strictly forbids it.

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Abartonresident says...
10:32am Thu 21 Feb 13

I wonder if those that commute from Bicester add to the congestion on Bayswater Road/Green Road roundabout each morning.

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King Joke says...
10:36am Thu 21 Feb 13

Abarton resident - yes undoubtedly they do, although some may come via Hinksey Hill, Redbridge, Heyford Hill and Rose Hill roundabouts.

It's undoubtedly the wrong place to put a large employment site but we are where we are, and we need to provide alternatives to car travel to it where practicable.

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