Do you want a shopping centre the size of Reading’s Oracle shopping centre in the middle of Oxford?
Do you think Oxford needs to compete with Birmingham for shoppers.
Do you want traffic in the City Centre to be like just before Christmas all year round?
Do you want to see vulnerable, disabled residents moved from the Council housing to make ways for a car park?
Do you want to see the City Council doing it's bit to stop climate change?
Do you think Oxford needs to compete with Birmingham for shoppers.
Do you want traffic in the City Centre to be like just before Christmas all year round?
Do you want to see vulnerable, disabled residents moved from the Council housing to make ways for a car park?
Do you want to see the City Council doing it's bit to stop climate change?
The City Council has just given planning permission to a massive expansion of the Westgate shopping centre and a new multi-storey car park in the centre of Oxford ON LAND OWNED BY THE CITY!
The shopping centre will attract more traffic to the City Centre, using mostly Botley Road and Abingdon Road to get in. It will have yet more chain stores sucking money out of the local economy. It will have a staff training and benefits programme that will lead to staff being poached from small, locally owned shops (threatening areas like Summertown and Cowley Road).
The shopping centre will lead to more pollution, not just in the City Centre, but on roads in to the centre.
The new multi-story car park is being built on the Abbey Place surface car park off Oxpens Road - it will mean the demolition of 14 social housing units purpose built for disabled residents.
The shopping centre barely meets the City Council's own high environmental standards so it won't do nearly enough to help stop climate change.
The City library will be replaced by a refurbished BUT smaller library!
The new Westgate should be decided independently at a Public Inquiry, rather than being left up to planning officers who have been working with the developers for years and Councillors who have strong party lines on this issue (Labour and LibDems are desperate to see this development go ahead).
If you do nothing else this week, please write to Planning Minister Yvette Copper MP requesting a call-in of the Council's decision to approve plans to massively expand the Westgate.
If implemented, the plans would lead to more air pollution, increase carbon dioxide emissions, add to traffic congestion, result in the demolition of the Abbey Place affordable housing and impact on small local traders.
Write to: Yvette Cooper MP, Minister for Planning c/o Mark Newman, Thames Valley Planning Team, Government Office for the South East, 1 Walnut Tree Close, Guildford, Surry, GU1 4GA.
The shopping centre will attract more traffic to the City Centre, using mostly Botley Road and Abingdon Road to get in. It will have yet more chain stores sucking money out of the local economy. It will have a staff training and benefits programme that will lead to staff being poached from small, locally owned shops (threatening areas like Summertown and Cowley Road).
The shopping centre will lead to more pollution, not just in the City Centre, but on roads in to the centre.
The new multi-story car park is being built on the Abbey Place surface car park off Oxpens Road - it will mean the demolition of 14 social housing units purpose built for disabled residents.
The shopping centre barely meets the City Council's own high environmental standards so it won't do nearly enough to help stop climate change.
The City library will be replaced by a refurbished BUT smaller library!
The new Westgate should be decided independently at a Public Inquiry, rather than being left up to planning officers who have been working with the developers for years and Councillors who have strong party lines on this issue (Labour and LibDems are desperate to see this development go ahead).
If you do nothing else this week, please write to Planning Minister Yvette Copper MP requesting a call-in of the Council's decision to approve plans to massively expand the Westgate.
If implemented, the plans would lead to more air pollution, increase carbon dioxide emissions, add to traffic congestion, result in the demolition of the Abbey Place affordable housing and impact on small local traders.
Write to: Yvette Cooper MP, Minister for Planning c/o Mark Newman, Thames Valley Planning Team, Government Office for the South East, 1 Walnut Tree Close, Guildford, Surry, GU1 4GA.