Protest meeting over city complex

The redevelopment is scheduled to be finished by autumn 2011

Campaigners have been holding a public meeting in protest at a multi-million pound redevelopment of an Oxford city centre shopping complex.

Work has begun on the four-year revamp, which will include a 1,335-space car park and a large department store.

The protesters accuse the city council of agreeing to the plans with little public consultation and were holding a meeting in the Town Hall at 1900 GMT.

A spokesman for the developers said there was a "lengthy consultation".

A spokeswoman for the protesters called the development "monstrous".

"You may have noticed the trees being cut down in Oxford city centre.

"This is 'preliminary work' in preparation for a monstrous new shopping centre," she said.

'Reduce energy'

She claimed the plans had been "hustled through the planning process with the minimum of public consultation, despite local anger and 14 official objections".

"We don't have to take this lying down. Any development in our city centre should be eco-friendly and sensitive to the needs of local people," she added.

However a spokesman for the Westgate development said there had been a lengthy consultation process prior to submitting the planning application.

"The Westgate Partnership worked closely with both city and county councils, the Environment Agency, transport groups and the local community to ensure the development of a retail-led mixed use regeneration scheme for Oxford," he said.

"The scheme is designed to reduce energy requirements through natural ventilation, intelligent lighting controls, solar panels, green roofs and rainwater collection."

He said a biomass heating system would also be one of the "largest sustainable heating systems for any retail centre in the country".

The redevelopment of the 5.7 hectare site is scheduled to be finished by autumn 2011.