Oxford's George Street could be pedestrianised after trial

A main road temporarily pedestrianised in Oxford city centre could be closed to traffic permanently in the future.

Part of George Street was shut to provide space for restaurants and bars to put tables outside in August following the coronavirus lockdown.

Oxford City Council said a survey it carried out showed residents and businesses favoured the permanent move.

However, one of the city's bus company bosses said the temporary road closure had "impacted our services severely".

Chris Coleman, managing director of Stagecoach Oxfordshire, said it was "great to hear" businesses had benefited from George Street's closure but buses had been delayed due to congestion building on neighbouring Beaumont Street.

"In order to continue to support the county's green recovery, it is vital bus travel is an attractive choice of transport, and this depends heavily on providing services that are punctual and reliable," he said.

The city council said it was only able to pedestrianise George Street this summer due to fewer vehicles travelling through Oxford compared to previous years.

The local authority admitted in a "normal year" buses would be rerouted to join Beaumont Street which would "exacerbate the traffic".

It said a regular or permanent pedestrianisation of George Street would therefore only be positive if cars were banned from Beaumont Street and bus stops were moved there.

The city council said it received 1,052 responses to its online survey and said 84.1% believed the impact of the street being closed to traffic was positive.