Range of reaction to £40m plans (From Witney Gazette)

Range of reaction to £40m plans

1:25pm Wednesday 12th July 2006

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A MIXED reaction was delivered to developers as hundreds of people flocked to an exhibition to see the £40m plans for Marriotts Close, Witney.

More than 600 people went through the doors of High Street Methodist Church, Witney, to speak to representatives from Simons Developments, which submitted a planning application for the site two weeks ago.

Artists' illustrations, elevation and layout plans gave an insight into what is planned for the former Witney Town Football Club ground and Welch Way car park, including 13 new shops, a five-screen cinema, two restaurant/bars, a coffee shop, public space, a five-storey car park, and 185 new homes.

While some people "loved" the plans, others "hated" them and told developers they wanted the site to remain unchanged.

The public exhibitions, which ran from Thursday to Saturday, were organised by Lincoln-based Simons Developments as part of the public consultation process into the planning application, which will be considered after September by West Oxfordshire District Council.

People were given the chance to fill in feedback forms and the firm said each comment would be considered and form part of the consultation.

Although the planning application has been submitted, it is still possible that plans could be revised depending on the outcome of the consultation. If this is the case, a revised application will have to be put forward.

Luke Pickering, director of Simons Developments, said: "We've had all sorts of feedback, from people saying they loved the plans, to people hating them. Some people don't want any change at all and, I'm afraid, we'll never be able to please them all.

"The thing most people seemed to have picked up on is the multi-storey car park and its height. It's not going to be ten-storey, as some people thought, it's going to be five-storey with ten staggered levels. It won't be much taller than the apartments in front."

The 656-space car park is planned to be built behind a row of three and four-storey buildings housing 70 one- and two-bedroom apartments, fronting Welch Way and the new West End Link Road, Woodford Way.

Mr Pickering said it would not look like a "horrible" concrete block that many associated with multi-storey car parks.

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