CYCLISTS may have to pay to use new bike spaces at the Westgate Centre once a secure hub is built.

On the opening day last week just 142 cycling parking spaces were in place, much less than the 1,000 pledged by Westgate Oxford Alliance and the 'Cycling Hub' wasn't ready.

The hub, in Greyfriars Street, will provide 'safe and secure indoor cycle parking' and make access to the centre by bike 'easy'.

Westgate Oxford has since removed the page from its website which detailed prices and features of the hub.

But the Oxford Mail can reveal the centre advertised the hub as being available for members for between £10 and £20 per year.

Cyclists would get fob access to a secure space and an emergency control room contact but would need to provide their own locks.

There will be 24-hour CCTV on the hub but it will be unmanned and it will be open for members from 7am to 11pm.

The website also said the city's Broken Spoke Co-op bike shop would be based at the hub to run workshops and carry out repairs.

Broken Spoke Coop then distanced itself from the hub after cycling groups bemoaned the lack of spaces following the centre's opening.

It said on Twitter: "Just to confirm, we're not part of the Cycle hub. There might have been an internal miscommunication between the folks organising the hub."

An Oxfordshire Green Party petition to make the centre's owners stick to their 1,000-space pledge has now reached more than 1,900 signatures.

Westgate Oxford said the spaces and hub would be ready soon.