Things have always moved slowly in Oxford. The redevelopment of the Westgate Centre has been talked about for 20 years and is only now becoming a realistic prospect.

But there is a sense now that the city is starting to get its act together. The prison site has been redeveloped into a superb complex of restaurants and hotel. Next week, a new heritage centre will be opened by the Queen, turning the city's forgotten castle into a tourist attraction.

This week we reveal that plans for the regeneration of a large swathe of Oxford will go out to consultation in the summer. It is very early to make judgements on the proposals but many aspects of the scheme are exciting. It is also very good news for Oxford to see things moving so quickly.

The scheme looks likely to accommodate 1,200 new homes a significant benefit for a city starved of land suitable for housing. There would be new public squares, a new college of further education, a new ice rink and local authority offices.

The impact of the regeneration of the West End is wide-reaching. It is good to see that it could also ease the way for the pedestrianisation of Queen Street.

Progress on the vision for Oxford's West End has been helped by good relations between the city and county councils. That relationship could be strained over the coming months because of debate about the future running of local authorities in Oxfordshire.

It is important that this is not allowed to stand in the way of these important redevelopment schemes.