TNAKFULLY Oxfordshire is a county that continues to buck the general gloom and doom and the news today that Premier Inn has decided to build a new hotel in Witney is surely cause enough to raise a glass.

Plans have been submitted for a 57-bedroom hotel in Ducklington Lane which, according to the hotel chain, will create 30 new jobs.

However, the firm also claims the development will bring an additional 7,000 new customers into the town, which Witney business leaders hope will encourage further investment.

Indeed, according to Witney Chamber of Commerce chairman Lesley Semaine: “It is a great idea because apart from the Four Pillars, we only have small B&Bs and hotels.”

Of course, a Premier Inn is not a John Lewis or M&S, but its arrival proves that businesses still view our county as a worthy addition to any investment portfolio. And anyway, as the saying goes, “from small acorns...”