The chance of Barton's long-awaited £250,000 makeover being completed in time for the estate's Big Bash party is looking increasingly unlikely.

With less than three months to go before the event, work is yet to start on the creation of an amphitheatre and walkway by Underhill Circus shopping parade.

Applications to tender for the contract are going out now and Oxford City Council landscape architect Stuart Thorpe said he hoped to get quotes back by mid-April.

However, he admitted the process could take much longer.

Even after a quote has been chosen, legal complications, weather and supply issues could delay the project.

Mr Thorpe said: "I don't think it is going to happen in time.

"I'm trying to get it priced up in advance, but the whole thing is very complicated.

"The brief was not clear and decisions on lots of different things have had to be made before we could go out to tender.

"I'm still hoping to get the main body of the amphi- theatre done so that the main area is finished and then we will just have to finish the peripheral bits.

"I'm not sure what else we could have done. I suppose we could have employed the artist a bit sooner.

"There is just a lot of people involved and you have to get a lot of agreement."

Barton community development officer Maureen Robertson said the Barton Bash on Saturday, June 16, would be a fantastic day whether the Underhill makeover was completed or not.

She said: "I was getting a bit worried about the project because I hadn't seen anything going on up there, but even if it isn't finished it won't stop us having a good time.

"We can still hold things in the community centre, so it will be fine."

Artist Peter Dunn is still working on the final designs for two-metre high illuminated glass panels which will go on either side of the walkway leading to Underhill Circus shopping parade.

The six multi-coloured panels each feature 50 pictures drawn by people living on the estate as well as images depicting Barton's colourful past.

Mr Dunn said: "I'm still working on the final design but hopefully this will be finished very soon."