Should the £100m West Way shops redevelopment be given approval

YOU would have had to have been living under a rock for several months, and not to have referred to these pages before, not to know that the redevelopment proposals for Botley’s West Way are controversial.

I would encourage as many people as possible to view the plans for themselves and to come to their own considered opinion.

We are told that the proposals threaten the future of local businesses.

• Vale of White Horse District Council leader Matt Barber

The truth is that times are tough for local retailers anyway, and without investment and improvement in the centre, it will continue to decline.

We all want to see local businesses thrive, but we can see from across the country that they do this best where they can exist alongside the big names.

Like it or not, the majority of people use the big retailers, and local business can cash on in the increased numbers of visitors they bring.

Let us also not forget that West Way is not a stranger to the national supermarkets. Tesco, Iceland and the Co-op all have stores in the centre at the moment.

The proposals have often been portrayed as an outrageous destruction of community facilities, whereas the truth is that the facilities proposed far outstrip those currently available.

It is true, the library will be demolished – as will the Baptist Church and Seacourt Hall – but they will be rebuilt, brand new and much bigger. There will also be new facilities not available on the site at the moment – a new medical centre, a cinema, a gym and a hotel.

You may not want to worship in that particular church, or register with a particular doctor, or even use the gym or cinema — but the provision of extra services and facilities, bringing new opportunities, investment and jobs cannot be a bad thing.

Many correspondents on the subject object in principle to the replacement of Field House.

If the proposals were as they have been portrayed – throwing the elderly and disabled out on the streets – I would agree with these objections, but that simply isn’t the case.

Doric is seeking to replace, not destroy, the accommodation at Field House.

The end result should be better accommodation, more suited to the needs of residents.

If planning permission is granted – and with a great deal of hard work from all involved to get the details right – these proposals have the potential for great benefit for Botley and the surrounding area.

They would bring new jobs, new investment and new opportunities whilst helping to maintain a strong centre for the local community.

NO: West Way Community Concern campaign leader Chris Church

THERE is no doubt that the 1960s West Way centre needs redevelopment. But Doric’s proposals, supported by the economic development team at Vale Council, are not right for Botley.

There are many reasons to say this, and Vale ought to be among those saying it. These proposals cut across many of the policies set out in its own Local Plan. It seems as if the desire to maximise income has meant that good planning and design has gone out the window.

Among our reasons for opposing these plans are:

The sheer scale of the development will be completely out of place in a low rise residential suburb. The main building is up to seven stories high and over 100 metres long, dwarfing the homes that surround it.

The three free car parks in the area – a major boon for local shoppers – will be replaced by a 500+ car park under the supermarket. Many will choose to park elsewhere, clogging up local streets.

• West Way Community Concern campaign leader Chris Church

The supermarket will be one of the biggest in Oxfordshire and will only be viable if it draws in people from a much wider area, causing further congestion around the Botley Road. Our analysis of Doric’s traffic forecasts show them to be seriously flawed.

Another large supermarket is not needed in Oxford, especially with a large Waitrose expected less than a mile away. Developing such a centre may help, as one Vale officer said, “claw back” retail spending from the city but this has nothing to do with meeting local needs.

We would lose the shops at Elms Parade — a key symbol of the character of the area and a rare example of 1930s commercial architecture.

Ten out of the 12 shops in the parade are independent local traders, and there are more in the West Way centre. Research from other areas shows repeatedly how small traders cannot survive a two-year shutdown of their business, even if they could afford the higher rents in a new development. Those jobs will go.

The enforced moving of the elderly Field House residents to create space for a cinema is outrageous, and the council’s own strategy document makes it clear that a six-screen cinema is not needed.

Botley deserves much better than this. If Vale councillors really care for the people of Botley they should reject these ideas and focus on the original plans they had in 2011, which have ample room for more retail, while retaining the diversity and design of Elms Parade.