WESTGATE developers will not be forced to provide bike parking spaces immediately – despite more than 2,000 people calling for Oxford City Council to take enforcement action.

More than 1,000 new bike racks were promised by the companies responsible for the £440m shopping and leisure complex, which was opened in October.

But just 142 had been installed by that time – and they were merely replacing others that had been removed for the development to be built.

An Oxfordshire Green Party petition called for the city council to clamp down and force the racks to be built immediately, while criticising it for allowing an increase in car parking spaces.

Craig Simmons, the deputy leader of the Green Party’s group, said the council was setting a dangerous precedent by allowing developers install the racks at their own speed.

But the local authority’s cycling champion, Louise Upton, said Westgate Oxford Alliance will shortly install all of the 1,022 bike racks as promised and that the developers will not be allowed to ‘wriggle out’ of their commitments.

Mr Simmons, who submitted his own motion in support of the petition, said: “What sort of an example does that set to other developments?

" Are they saying cycling’s less important, they don’t need to worry about planning issues about it?

“The argument that I’ve heard is: ‘because Westgate is intending to install them, we shouldn’t bother with enforcement’ just reinforces that: just go ahead because the city (council) won’t do anything about it.”

Mr Simmons was supporting the petition, which was signed by 2,156 people.

Of those, 1,950 were valid but other signatories gave insufficient address details or gave addresses that were not in the UK.

But the council’s board member for planning, Alex Hollingsworth, said the authority’s officers had said developers should be given time to complete the racks in their own time – and that to disregard that would be foolish.

Mr Hollingsworth told a council meeting at the Town Hall on Monday: “Our procedures for planning enforcement is that we delegate to officers so that we can use their professional judgement when and what enforcement action should be taken and that has served this council well.”

“[Mr Simmons] is asking us to disregard their professionalism, for us to disregard their opinion, which is based on years of experience.

“The Westgate Centre did not comply with the condition – that is absolutely true. They are complying with it and new spaces are being added all the time. To launch into enforcement action would show this council feels it knows better than the professional officers who are paid to advise us.”

Mr Simmons argued that it was for councillors to decide what happened to planning issues and that is why they sit on planning committees.

Dr Upton said there are ‘almost 800’ racks already installed with another 200 to be added over coming months.

She said developers want to fulfil their promises and that they have worked with council officers to do so.

She added: “I wish [the racks] had been in October – of course that would have been better.

“But in the real world it’s pretty standard for the public realm parts to be done last and you notice shops haven’t all been finished yet.

“Cycle parking will go in, it was going in and it always has been going to go in.”

Mr Simmons’ motion was not carried but Dr Upton proposed an alternative petition, which was passed. She said it showed there was ‘huge support’ for cycling.

As part of that, the petition conceded it was a ‘matter of regret that not all of the public realm works’, including the racks, had not been completed in time for the centre’s opening.

It said: “As the final paving works around the site are completed, any outstanding cycle parking spaces will be installed.”

Sara Fuge, development manager for Westgate Oxford Alliance, said earlier this month that the bike racks will be completed: “We would like to assure visitors that we are continuing to work hard to complete the installation of cycle spaces.

“There are cycle spaces around John Lewis on Thames Street and Norfolk Street, on Old Greyfriars Street where it meets Faulkner Street, Pike Terraceon, St Ebbe’s Street and Penny Farthing Place.”