VANDALS have again graffitied the West Way shopping centre, days after it was sold to a development company.

An ‘artist’ scrawled B.D.C = Botley Destruction Company’ after the previous slogan, which accused Vale of White Horse District Council of ‘killing Botley’, was covered up.

It comes after the Botley Development Company finally bought the land needed to begin its long-delayed project to revamp the shopping centre.

Vale council agreed to sell the land for £12.4m last week, £1.4m less than originally planned.

It said the lower price was accepted to allow the developer to make the changes to their plans that were necessary to meet the needs of the community.

But Mary Gill, chairwoman of West Way Community Concern, said the lower price deal had only benefitted the developer.

She said she felt the council had been left with little option but to accept the price but may have made a different decision earlier in the process, if it had known what the final price would be.

The council chose to sell the land in 2012, rather than renovate the shopping centre itself.

Mrs Gill also said the developer had built up a case for building such a large scheme because they were paying a high price for it and needed to make a profit.

She said: “It’s win-win for the developer; lose, lose, lose for people of Botley. We’ve lost our shopping centre, the independent traders have shut down, the opportunity to provide housing for local people has been missed. There is no guarantee that the centre will be successful or that the student accommodation will be taken up.

“We will have the buildings that are too large and a centre which may not function well and we have £1.4m less to invest in our future than we should have had.”

Mrs Gill added: “The people of Botley have been badly let down by the Vale throughout the whole saga.

As West Way Community Concern said during its campaign against this development – Botley deserves better, not bigger.”

The original 1960s shopping centre is set to be demolished and replaced with new shops, a hotel and student accommodation.

Justifying the lower sum, council spokeswoman Emma East, said: “We have struck a balance to ensure the income will benefit all Vale residents and making sure the West Way development remains viable to deliver the improvements that local people will be proud of in years to come.”

Long-term plans for spending and investment have been made without counting on West Way income, so it is not seen as a loss of money, according to Ms East.

The money is to be spent on ensuring the council’s finances ‘remain sound into the future’ and reducing the need to borrow for future projects and services.

A councillor for the area has also hit out at the terms of the sale, saying it was ‘good for Vale Tories and no one else.’

Lib dem Debby Hallet said the high price had forced developers to try and build too much in order to get a return on their investment.

She added: “A responsible administration would have recognised years ago that the deal was wrong for Botley and tried again.”

Developers Mace, working on the project alongside the Botley Development Company, said: “We are delighted to have finally completed the purchase of the site, and to have formed agreements that all parties are happy with.

“Mace would like to thank all stakeholders who have been involved in the process. We are very excited by the potential of West Way, and look forward to working with the community to realise the proposals, which will benefit Botley residents and the wider Vale area.”