TAXI drivers have criticised plans to prevent them from accessing parts of the city centre. 

David Nimmo-Smith, council member for transport, spoke of plans to permanently prevent taxis from accessing Castle Street at County Hall yesterday.

But Mr Nimmo-Smith said he would be postponing the decision in order to consult taxi drivers on the issue. 

Sajad Khan, of the Oxford Licensed Taxicab Association,said: "We have been using this part of the city for decades and it is vital for the service of our passengers that we are able to carry on using it, particularly for elderly members of the community who flag us down from bus stops or need to use our services to get to hospital.

"In addition there are the late night revellers who would be loitering on the roads around the area and it is essential that we are around to get them home safely."

Mr Khan added that restricting the area would make journeys longer for passengers and would increase the cost of their trip.

He said: "If we are not allowed to go through there, it will end up taking longer and costing more and it's all at the expense of our customers, which isn't fair on them."

Taxi drivers are already unavailable to access Queen Street as part of the redevelopment of the Westgate Shopping Centre. 

This will continue until November. 

The shopping centre is set to house more than 100 stores, 25 restaurants and cafes, a boutique cinema, rooftop terrace and new public spaces when it opens in 2017.