HUNDREDS of jobs were secured yesterday after councillors ignored officers’ advice and approved a major retail park in Banbury.

Staff at motorsport firm Prodrive were celebrating last night after it was given consent to turn its current site into a shopping park.

Cherwell District Council’s planning committee approved the Banbury Gateway shopping development, despite planning officers recommending it should be turned down.

The move means retailers such as Marks & Spencer and Next will move in, creating 750 jobs once Prodrive has vacated the site on the Wildmere Industrial Estate by September next year.

The firm, which wants to expand its 450-strong workforce, will move into the former Hella lighting factory nearby.

Speaking after the meeting, Prodrive chairman David Richards said: “I’m so proud of the council members who, in the face of the officers’ report, looked at the big picture of what was good for Banbury. It sends a message that the council thinks about what they want in the town.”

During the debate, councillor Kieron Mallon said: “This will provide jobs and will also provide opportunities for smaller firms. It’s the right place for a major shopping centre.”

But Malcolm Douglas, of the town centre Banbury Traders Group, said: “I’m very, very disappointed. There’s not a single town that anyone can name which has benefited from out-of-town retail parks.”