New city centre manager praises 'dynamic and ambitious' Oxford (From Oxford Mail)

New city centre manager praises 'dynamic and ambitious' Oxford

6:54pm Sunday 28th February 2010 in

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AFTER working to boost business in Dundee, Edinburgh and Manchester, Gordon Reid has been appointed Oxford’s latest city centre manager.

Mr Reid, 53, replaces Oliver Odell, who managed the city centre for OX1, the business organisation backed by the city and county councils, and traders.

OX1 has now been disbanded, and Mr Reid is employed solely by the two local authorities.

But the father-of-three said he would work closely with local businesses to help them make the most of the local economy.

Mr Reid, who has led a city centre management team in Manchester for the past three years, said: “The last 20 years of my career has been spent in city centre management and I am looking forward to the latest challenge.

“I arrived in Oxford last month and I have been doing my best to meet as many people as possible in the business community and in the city centre.

“Oxford has an ideal combination of characteristics – it’s historic and it’s also dynamic and ambitious. Oxford is big enough to matter and small enough to get things done quickly.

“There was tremendous civic interest in Edinburgh and Dundee and I think I will find the same thing in Oxford, because it is a very historic environment.”

Mr Reid attended a business breakfast attended by traders and council leaders at County Hall in New Road on Thursday, where he was briefed on the county council’s Transform Oxford proposals to pedestrianise parts of the city centre.

Some bus routes have been removed from Queen Street, and Mr Reid said he was responsible for introducing pedestrianised areas in Dundee, and wanted to explore further opportunities for doing the same in Oxford.

But he added: “Some streets and squares in the country are pedestrian-priority areas, but they are not completely free from traffic.”

City council spokesman Fiona Colcutt said Mr Reid is paid a salary of between £48,526 to £54,089.

Graham Jones, a spokesman for the Oxford High Street Association, welcomed Mr Reid’s appointment.

He said: “We feel there should be a new strategy to deal with the overall needs of the city, not just one addressing the transport.

“The recession has presented lots of challenges, but also opportunities for a fresh approach, and Gordon has arrived at an opportune time.

“At the business breakfast I was pleased to hear him say he would engage with the business community and listen to our needs.”