“IF anyone can make it happen, I believe we can...”

That is the pledge from the Crown Estate, which has taken control of the city’s Westgate Shopping Centre.

The organisation has promised to create a high-quality shopping centre once it has exchanged contracts with Capital Shopping Centres to buy the Westgate.

James Cooksey, head of diversification at the Crown Estate, said its role in transforming London’s Regent Street showed it was up to the job.

He said: “If anyone can make it happen, I believe we can. If people look at our record in central London, they will see that.”

He added that once the sale had gone through, a working party would be formed to review the current proposals and consult people on what kind of shopping centre Oxford needed.

He added: “We want to consult and, from our experience, the setting up of a working party is the best way to do that.

“What we’re not able to do is to commit to any timetable.

“But what is key is that the Crown Estate is committed and confident that a viable scheme can be found. We are a fresh pair of eyes.”

Discussions have already taken place with the John Lewis Partnership, which has signed up to open a flagship department store in the redeveloped centre. There has also been speculation that John Lewis’s Waitrose supermarket chain could open a store.

Mr Cooksey said: “John Lewis has been positive about the Crown Estate acquisition and we would love them to be the key anchor for the shopping centre.”

Capital Shopping Centres’ proposed £330m scheme is expected to be substantially scaled down. But the Crown Estate said it would not readily abandon the current design after years of work. Instead, it would seek to use the existing plan as much as possible.

Mr Cooksey said: “We see Oxford and the Westgate Centre as an exciting opportunity.

“It’s one of the best city centres in the UK, with strong demand from retailers wanting to come into the city.”

City council leader Bob Price said: “It won’t look exactly the same as the previous plans, but it will have the same elements.

“They will probably take things out to make development easier and the site more commercially viable.”

Mr Price also revealed there was a possibility the Swedish clothing chain H&M could move into a new centre.

Meanwhile, Christ Church this week reaffirmed its commitment to the council’s proposal to create a multi-million city gateway area in Frides-wide Square, although the scheme could be between five and 10 years away.

The proposal is viewed as a key element in the regeneration of the city’s West End.

Christ Church, which owns the site, is considering a mix of shops, restaurants and housing.