Masterplan for Westgate unveiled

A new look has long been wanted for the Westgate Centre

Plans for the long-awaited revamp of Oxford's Westgate shopping centre were unveiled on Wednesday.

Developers have spent the last year drawing up the masterplan for the major transformation of the city centre site.

The plan was put together after a court battle which saw the city council win an appeal overruling a government decision against redevelopment.

Backers hope the plan will now be a focus for public debate before any detailed design work is carried out.

City history acknowledged

They are keen to emphasise that the plan is not a planning application but simply a first step.

Richard Cable, property development director at Capital Shopping Centres, said: "The proposed masterplan sets out a strategy to provide improved and extended retail space as part of the wider regeneration of the Westgate area.

"It sets out a clear strategy to ensure any new development is integrated into the surrounding area and takes into account the city's history."

The scheme will include shops, cafes and restaurants, the remodelling of the Westgate Centre into a single-level covered shopping street leading to a two-storey arcade and a new multi-storey car park.

It is hoped that a planning application could be submitted by summer 2005 with construction earmarked to start the following year.