A youth club is facing with the prospect of losing access to a “safe and nurturing space” after the sudden closure of a key footbridge over a busy Oxford ring road.

Cottesmore footbridge, which is used by pedestrians and cyclists to cross the busy A4142 Easter Bypass near the Heyford Hill roundabout, was closed by Oxfordshire County Council on safety grounds last week (Friday, May 15).

Footbridge across A4142 in Oxford which connects Rose Hill and Littlemore near Heyford Hill Roundabout has been closed due to structural safety concerns as diversion in place (Image: OCC)

A 23-minute, one-mile diversion is now in place while engineers assess its options to fix the wobbly bridge, which is not expected to reopen until November 2027.

Detour pedestrians and cyclists face because of the Cottesmore footbridge closure (Image: Google Maps)

Cuttesmore footbridge highlighted in red on Google Maps (Image: Google Maps)

Rose Hill Junior Youth Club says the closure has “greatly impacted” its work, forcing its primary-age children onto “too risky” long and busy alternative routes.

Every week, the club walks across the bridge to its allotment at Thomson Terrace, which it has developed over five years as a space to “relax and reap the benefits of being in nature and growing food”.

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Director Aimee Winkfield said: “Our only viable option is to find transportation to take our groups safely to the allotment, which will have a significant financial impact on us as a small charity. “We understand that structural issues have been identified and that safety is the priority, but the impact of this sudden closure on both the Rose Hill and Littlemore communities seems poorly understood.”

It urges the county council to reach out to both communities “to establish an open dialogue about any potential support available” while it waits for repairs.