WITNEY'S Marriotts Close development has been given a final seal of approval from the Government.

The last obstacle to the scheme, to build shops, restaurants, a cinema and multi-storey car park in the town, has now been overcome.

Developers are celebrating after the Government decided not to call in the scheme.

It has been a subject of controversy during the five years it has been crawling through the planning process.

The development was approved by West Oxfordshire District Council in December, but critics Action to Improve Marriotts Close (Aim) wrote to the Government Office for the South East calling for the application to be reviewed.

The group was concerned at the way affordable housing had been allotted - the development will only provide 15 affordable houses out of 188.

But to make up for it the district council will spend £572,000 it has received from the developer on affordable housing elsewhere in West Oxfordshire.

Brian Matthews, of Aim, said: "It was a long shot. I know that for it to be called in there has to have been some very serious maladmin- istration.

"Aim wrote asking for them to call it in on the grounds of the affordable housing.

"We were concerned about the green space, but obviously that is not a matter for a Government inspector.

"We weren't particularly happy about the affordable housing and thought the Government inspector would have grounds to look into that. He hasn't found any reason to - and we are accepting that."

Council leader Barry Norton said: "It is common on big applications that they want to have a look at it.

"They looked and now have given us the go-ahead."

The firm behind the schehe, Simons Developments expects to start building later this year. It is hoped the complex will be completed by Christmas 2008.