RESIDENTS in West Oxford spoke of their relief this morning after Thames Valley Probation bosses unveiled their new headquarters in the city centre.

Last year, neighbours in Mill Street, off Botley Road, were bitterly opposed to a planned probation centre to serve about 350 of the county’s criminals.

In September, developers at Trajan House, in Mill Street, said they no longer wanted to be involved in the proposal, and probation service bosses pledged to look elsewhere.

At the end of last year probation bosses confirmed they had identified a new premises in the city centre, and this morning they revealed its location, next to the police station in St Aldates.

Rosemary Preston, a spokesman for the Mill Street campaign group WOCAMP (West Oxford Community Against Mega Probation Centre), said: “We are delighted to hear that Thames Valley Probation has taken an interim four-year contract on a city centre location for its new HQ in Oxford.

“After months campaigning, we are pleased that TVP has kept WOCAMP informed of its search for alternative premises.

“However, repeated statements that Mill Street remains the TVP’s preferred site for its central office, do mean that New Osney residents will remain alert over the period of the temporary contract, firm in the belief that residential Mill Street is a wholly unsuitable site for such a service. “ A statement from the probation service said Macmillan House would offer office accommodation for staff now based in St Ebbes and its office in Cowley.

The statement added: “Macmillan House is a satisfactory property and location for us but its size will not enable us to extend our capacity, or our facilities beyond those already available at our current offices.

“Our hopes to enhance our services to offenders in Oxfordshire have been restricted.

“We have therefore decided to explore options for our Abingdon and Banbury offices which cannot be accommodated at Macmillan House, and we are already in consultation with the Ministry of Justice and the Home Office.

Chief Probation Officer Gerry Marshall added: ‘It has been a difficult time for us all, as we had to vacate our current Oxford office in 2010, and the search for suitable sites in Oxford at an affordable price and in a suitable location has been incredibly hard.

“We hope that everyone will be satisfied with our new location.

“We are pleased to have found somewhere at last and look forward to moving in and continuing with our work and our aim, which is summed up by our mission statement ‘less re-offending, fewer victims.”