PLANS for the latest redevelopment of the Westgate Centre in Oxford have been dogged by delays – and it was the same when it was first built.

The city had long been waiting for a modern shopping complex, but it took a more than a decade to come to fruition.

The redevelopment of the whole of St Ebbe’s was held up for years as arguments raged over the route of new roads.

St Ebbe’s was once a thriving community of terrace homes and narrow streets.

But most of the homes were demolished in the late 1950s and early 1960s, leaving acres of derelict land, most of which was used for car parking.

When the Queen visited Oxford on May 2, 1968, plans for redevelopment were still on the drawing board.

Her first destination after arriving at Oxford railway station with the Duke of Edinburgh was a marquee in the Church Street car park, where she was shown a model of how the area would look.

The shopping centre finally opened in 1972, but within six months, traders were warning about its vibrancy and viability.

They said trade was good on Saturday, but poor during the rest of the week and they feared it would become a ghost centre.

However, with large stores such as Selfridges, Sainsbury’s and C&A Modes at its heart, the centre slowly established itself.

When the Queen next visited Oxford, on March 5, 1976, she was able to see the completed Westgate.

The area around Westgate was lined with thousands of people waving Union flags and a loud cheer went up from Pennyfarthing Place as the royal car pulled up and the Royal couple stepped out.

They were given a guided tour of the shopping centre, pausing to talk to shoppers and children from South Oxford Middle School.

In the 1980s, the centre was beginning to show its age and the city council decided to sell it to a private company, which embarked on a £3m refurbishment.

It was heralded as a brilliant example of how an outdated city shopping centre could be revitalised to compare with the best retail developments in the UK.

We now await the next refurbishment and expansion of the centre, to bring it into the 21st century.