Botley Road campaigner says he’s considering "other forms of resistance" as he feels ignored
Julian Le Vay says he's "out of patience" with the project and feels ignored by Oxfordshire County Council
Last updated 5th Mar 2025
A campaigner against Botley Road is telling us he's considering "other forms of resistance" as he's "out of patience" with the project and feels ignored by Oxfordshire County Council.
The major development has caused frustration to local residents and businesses since work started nearly two years ago, with no end in sight of when disruption will end.
"Complete refusal to engage with the community"
It’s after Network Rail has confirmed they “don't currently have a timescale for the completion" of the full project, which will likely cause more disruption after the road is set to reopen in August 2026.
Julian Le Vay, a former Director at the Home Office, is a local resident and campaigner against the Botley Road works, he says he feels “out of patience” and is telling us that they’re considering taking “other forms of resistance” or “action”.
He said: “Some of us are thinking about other forms of resistance, let's leave it at that because that's the only way I think will ever be heard… I feel really we have nowhere to go in the democratic process anymore.”
“We somehow have to make these people, these bureaucrats, realise what they're doing to us, and it seems incredibly difficult to communicate that to them, particularly to the County Council”, he adds.
Oxfordshire County Council says, “this is a Network Rail project and the county council has had, and continues to have, limited influence over the project”.
Mr Le Vay also claims he sent a letter to Cllr Andrew Gant, Cabinet member for Transport Management, over a month ago but is still yet to receive a reply.
He said: “I wrote to Andrew Gant on the 14th of January, listing the ways in which they had been unhelpful and needed to improve. He elected not to reply.
“A dozen other people wrote supporting me. They have not had replies.
“It's almost another country like China or Russia, of complete refusal to engage with the community.”
He added: “There've been times where the City Hall has felt further away than Westminster or even Brussels due to the complete refusal to engage with the people who vote for them, the people who pay for them. It is quite remarkable, and it's changed my view of local democracy completely.”
"We recognise the deep frustration in the community"
In a statement, Oxfordshire County Council said: “We recognise the deep frustration in the community in relation to the closure of Botley Road. However, this is a Network Rail project and the county council has had, and continues to have, limited influence over the project.
“Cllr Gant is in the process of replying to Mr Le Vay’s nine points which he raised in his letter, and apologises for the delay in responding.”
Network Rail has previously said: “While we successfully carry out similar projects nationwide, the work on Botley Road has faced a number of significant and unique challenges, including the discovery that the Victorian brick arch underneath the road is much larger in size and scope than anticipated and supports both the road and the bridge, as well as acting as a flood defence for the area. This – coupled with its proximity to Thames Water infrastructure – has added further complexities to the work.