Talks stall on plans for Oxford shopping centre (From Oxford Mail)

Talks stall on plans for Oxford shopping centre

10:00am Thursday 29th July 2010 in Editorial Comment By Reg Little

PLANS for a £22m shopping complex in the heart of Oxford are under threat following the collapse of talks with the city council, it emerged last night.

Global equity firm Carlyle Group submitted ambitious plans to create a new open-air shopping centre running from the St Aldate’s Tavern archway to Queen Street, near the Marks & Spencer store.

The company said it was ready to regenerate a neglected part of Oxford’s historic city centre, creating new shops, offices, student accommodation and jobs.

But a question mark hangs over the whole scheme because agreement cannot be reached with the council over how much Carlyle should pay into Town Hall coffers under a planning agreement.

The so called Section 106 agreements are legally binding and oblige landowners and developers to contribute to council works and services.

But business leaders warned that failure to reach agreement could see the city lose a major opportunity to redevelop the shabby site behind St Aldate’s.

Carlyle submitted a planning application in 2008, with plans for nine new shops, 17,000 sq ft of office space and accommodation for up to 96 students. But nearly two years on, the application has still not been considered.

A Town Hall spokesman said: “The scheme at St Aldate’s and Queen Street would require a significant Section 106 contribution from the applicant. We have been unable to negotiate with the applicant a level of contribution that we feel we would be able to recommend to our members.”

“Part of the section 106 money would be spent on infrastructure in the city’s West End quarter, for example improvements to Frideswide Square.”

Mark Harris, head of UK asset management for Carlyle, said: “We are very disappointed we have not been able to come to an agreement with the council.

“We want to create a purpose-built, open-air shopping centre, which would vastly improve the shopping experience for both local consumers and visitors, create jobs and regenerate an area which is in need of investment.”

But he added: “Despite the delays, we are still completely committed to the scheme. We have the funding in place to take this forward and hope to receive a positive response from the planning committee.”

David Doughty, chief executive of the Oxfordshire Enterprise Partnership, said: “When it comes to retail, Oxford is punching well below its weight. The city should be welcoming anything that brings improvement to Oxford’s retail offering. We should encourage schemes like this before companies lose interest and go somewhere else.”

City councillor for the Carfax Ward,Tony Brett, said: “It is always a shame to see an important opportunity missed. At the same time the council cannot give things away.”

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