THE dad of a Hollywood star has said his cafe has been closed after zero emission schemes cost the business “a fortune”.
Clinton Pugh, 65, blames the annoying traffic schemes for killing his trade and claimed they had helped lay waste to his establishment in Oxford.
Clinton Pugh, 65, unveils his Anti-LTN Poster in OxfordRex
Clinton’s daughter is Hollywood actress Florence Pugh
SkyClinton Pugh, 65, says his cafe had to close due to LTNs[/caption]
The business owner, whose daughter is Hollywood actress Florence Pugh, slammed council “bullies” who are pushing ahead with more eco-policies.
Mr Pugh has owned restaurants in Oxford for more than 30 years, including Cafe CoCo on Cowley Road – where Florence used to serve customers growing up.
And he blames the Low Traffic Neighbourhood in Oxford for putting customers off and ruining his business.
The LTN scheme in the town sees residential streets blocked with bollards and planters in a bid to reduce traffic.
Previously, Clinton put up a huge billboard protesting against the road schemes – and was threatened with fines for doing that too.
Florence’s father, however, defied the council, placing a new banner over the sign with the words: “1984? Censored! After 26 years of displaying signs here, Oxford City Council have demanded we remove this one. We wonder why. So much for democracy.”
The dad claims LTN’s are “deliberately destroying” the economic hub of the city.
Clinton told MailOnline: “It [zero emission zone] will take it to another level for me.
“It’s difficult to know whether I will still be in business.
“The LTNs have been a complete disaster but they [Oxfordshire County Council] still haven’t tried to do anything to ease the problem.
“They are deliberately destroying the economic hub of the Cowley Road area of the city.”
And the disgruntled dad even compared himself to a victim of the “Post Office scandal”.
He continued: “There are 250 businesses here – most of them with English as a second language – I think they saw us as an easy target.
“It will be like the Post Office scandal – eventually the truth will come out- we have been bullied, taken advantage of and we are all losing an absolute fortune.”
Oxfordshire County Council introduced a pilot ZEZ in February 2022 with charges in place from 7am until 7pm.
The current zone only covers nine streets in Oxford but under the new plans it would be expanded to include the wider city centre.
If successful, the ZEZ will be extended and charges could increase to between by 2025
A consultation has been ongoing with local communities, businesses, and the public ahead of a decision in the spring.
Oxford also has a zero-emission zone where only electric cars are allowed for free.
Drivers of petrol and diesel vehicles have to fork out up to £10 – doubling to £20 in 2025.
Clinton – who has four kids including Florence and Game of Thrones actor Toby Sebastian, 32 – previously said the LTN had cost him £110,000 in lost earnings.
Oppenheimer and Dune star Florence used to work at Clinton’s cafe and is fast becoming one of Britain’s biggest stars in Hollywood.
WASTE OF TIME
Campaigners insist LTNs improve air quality, lower crime and reduce traffic in residential streets.
But Clinton has previously complained how trade has been driven away from the homely cafe over time.
The 65-year-old said: “People don’t want to come here any more, staff do not want to come around here.
“Who wants to be stuck in traffic for hours? Who wants to spend hours looking for a space to park?
“It’s the small people who suffer, those who need their car to go to work, the mothers who need to drive their kids around.”
He added: “Everyone is wasting hours of their life and we are never going to get these hours back.”
The area has also lost 195 car parking spaces in recent months to make way for cycle lanes.
Although the zero emission zone in Oxford is the first of its kind in the UK, the proposed restrictions come as councils in other cities including London, Birmingham and Bristol have waged war on motorists.
Mr Pugh has previously said that Dune actress Florence had to step in one Christmas to pay his staff’s wages due to losses caused by the LTNs.
Speaking at a council meeting in October last year, when it was decided that the LTN scheme would be made permanent, he said: “I have noticed a huge decline in my businesses.
“I am one of the longest running business owners on the Cowley Road.
“I have had to hand one of my businesses back because I was behind with the rent and I’ve lost hundreds of thousands of pounds.”
Councillor Judy Roberts, cabinet member for development strategy, said: “The zero-emission zone in Oxford is all about making our city cleaner and healthier.
“The county council is currently working on proposals for expanding the zero emission zone to a larger area in the city centre.
“The proposals are draft at this stage and will be informed by our conversations with businesses and residents especially, as well as traffic and air quality modelling and a business impact assessment.
“Following a public consultation, the county council’s cabinet will make a public decision on whether to expand the ZEZ.”
GettyZero Emission Zone signs can be found throughout Oxford city centre[/caption]
AlamyClinton’s Cafe Coco has suffered in profits and trade[/caption]
clinton_pugh/InstagramMr Pugh slammed the council for acting like ‘bullies’[/caption]
GettyHis daughter Florence Pugh has starred alongside the likes of Harry Styles, Zendaya and Timothee Chalamet[/caption]