PLANS to redevelop Bicester town centre could face yet another delay – this time of up to a year.

Cherwell District Council is expected to push ahead with a compulsory purchase order (CPO), after negotiations to acquire parcels of land and rights of way stalled.

But the move may mean that once preliminary work at the site is finished in March, building work would not be able to start – and could be subject to a public inquiry.

The £70m development has already suffered an eight month delay due to legal issues over highways.

Originally due to open by Christmas 2011, the opening date has been pushed back to summer 2012.

A CPO – which effectively forces landowners to sell up – is necessary because terms have not been agreed with one freehold property owner and other landowners who have rights over parts of the site.

The CPO’s costs will be paid by Sainsbury, which is due to build a new supermarket, and will cover the entire redevelopment site – which includes more than 60 individual plots.

Much of the area is already owned by either the council or Sainsbury.

Norman Bolster, Cherwell’s executive member for economic development and estates, said: “We are satisfied that the developer has used reasonable efforts to reach agreement with the landowners and has been successful in most cases.

“But we are anxious that progress on the scheme proceeds as quickly as possible.”

The council’s executive is set to approve CPO measures on Monday, but the final decision will be made by the full council a week later on October 18.

If approved, the details of the CPO order will be published, at which point landowners could object and force a public inquiry, which could take up to 12 months to complete.

Andrew Sanderson, development surveyor at Sainsbury, said: “While the majority of negotiations are complete, there are a small number of issues left to resolve. We sincerely hope that it will not be necessary for the council to resort to making a compulsory purchase order.

“However, it is prudent to put in place the framework now, to allow the next phase of the project to be delivered should the remaining negotiations be unsuccessful.”

Lynn Wright, of Bicester Beds, in Market Square, said: “If it’s delayed it will affect everyone. We want it to be up and running. This should have been sorted out years ago.”

Ben Jackson, chairman of Bicester Chamber of Commerce, said it was gearing up to help traders. He said: “The chamber is arranging free sessions for traders in Bicester to attend to hear how they can maximise their situations – delay or no delay.”