Last week we saw the epic decision from the council to unanimously reject the planning proposal by Doric to flatten Botley and replace it with a generic shopping and housing development, thanks largely to the amazing work of the protest group who have campaigned relentlessly for the past months.

In a world where increasingly money talks, how refreshing it is to see that a faceless developer has been thwarted in his plans to tear the heart out of a community in which families have lived for generations, all in the name of profit.

Far be it from me to profess to have too much of an understanding of local politics, but as dentist to the local community, it’s been a fascinating year listening to local people’s views and opinions. I’ve been able to speak with people at all levels of the planning decision hierarchy and it’s been fair to say, I have yet to find anyone who thought the plans made sense.

Student accommodation, a multiplex cinema and high street restaurants never did seem to be the thing that was missing in Botley.

Admittedly, there are more attractive places in Oxford than the 1960s low rise shopping precinct. Dreaming spires seem distant when standing outside the Co-op on a wet Tuesday in February, but nevertheless, bulldozing it and replacing it with forgettable burger restaurants and yet more flats for the students of Oxford University seemed a rather senseless decision.

Botley may be viewed as just another suburb of Oxford, a sort of poor relation to the trendier Summertown and Jericho but it has a very distinct community and a lovely village atmosphere.

The shops are mostly small, individual and serve the purpose for people living nearby, in the way that bustling and busy high streets no longer seem to.

In the majority of cases, they are run by the very same people that own them and have a vested interest in them, something that is becoming increasingly rare in a world where every shopping centre seems to have the same chain stores.

Botley may not be the most obvious place in Oxford to look for a cashmere throw or a patchouli scented candle, but it’s a friendly place where people still stop to talk to each other in the street.

The planning proposal would have effectively removed the individuality from yet another area of the UK by doubtless commanding rents that would force small businesses out.

Doric has clearly invested a huge amount of time and money on their plan for Botley.

I’m sure that big developers have a team of people in place to drown out the protesters, but they obviously hadn’t bargained on the crusaders of Botley.

At our dental practice, we were being forced to start thinking about relocation, the thought of working from disused shipping containers was not something that was filling us with joy, but other than voicing our opinion, we too were in the hands of the council.

Thank goodness for common sense and a group of impassioned local councillors who stood up for our area.

Who knows what the future holds. It’s safe to say that Doric is unlikely to walk away with nothing and in all fairness, Botley could do with a makeover.

But smartening somewhere up shouldn’t alienate the people who actually live there.

I’ve lost count of the amount of elderly people from Field House, the sheltered housing, who have been worried sick about the possibility of having to move away to new areas at this late stage in their lives.

Being a dentist gives me a great insight into the community. Botley is a vibrant and diverse area; families, elderly people, students and academics who all add to the feel.

I was never convinced that a multiscreen cinema would ever recreate that feel.

It restores faith in humanity when the owner of Elms Parade turned down what was likely to have been an open cheque from Doric on account of the building being in his family for generations.

I’d really like to think that he has been a large cog in the fight against Doric.

For now it looks like Botley is safe for the short term at least.

I won’t be drilling teeth from the back end of a draughty shipping container in the middle of a building site just yet at least.

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