Marriotts plans: residents raise concerns

9:00am Wednesday 9th August 2006

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RESIDENTS have raised concerns about traffic problems, overdevelopment, and the long-term effects of a shopping, leisure and housing complex at Witney's Marriotts Close.

s=8About 40 people turned up for a special public meeting organised last week by Witney Town Council to get people's views about plans to develop land at the former Witney Town FC ground, Welch Way car park, and the former Oxfordshire County Council highways depot.

"The more I listen to the things said, the more convinced I am that it's a clear case of the cart being put before the horse."

Former district council chairman and town mayor Arthur Titherington

The town council said it wanted to give residents their chance to have a say before formulating its official response to a planning application for Marriotts, submitted by Lincoln-based Simons Developments last month.

As reported by the Gazette, the district council is responsible for deciding whether to approve the application to build three major shops, ten smaller retail units, a five-screen cinema, five-storey (one storey underground) multi-storey car park with 650 spaces, two restaurants, coffee shop, 185 homes, and public open space. The development will cost more than £40m.

One of the main concerns raised by residents at the meeting was about additional traffic and congestion problems the scheme could cause in and around Mill Street, Bridge Street, High Street, and Welch Way.

There were calls for the plans to be put on hold until improvements were made to the town's road system.

Former district council chairman and town mayor Arthur Titherington, of Church Green, Witney, read a poem (see Page 2) about his concerns for the future of Witney and said: "The more I listen to the things said, the more convinced I am that it's a clear case of the cart being put before the horse.

"The first thing that should happen is that considerable pressure should be put on the county council to come up with a roads system that suits Witney and future development."

West Oxfordshire District Council owns a large part of the land to be developed. Mr Titherington said it was he who approached the head of planning during his time as a councillor to ask the council to buy the Marriotts land and save it from falling into the hands of a developer.

He said the council paid about £400,000 at that time, and he had asked for this to happen because it was a 'lovely piece of land', and he wanted the best for it for Witney. However, he told the meeting: "I wish I'd kept quiet years ago and let the developer get hold of the land."

Some residents said they felt the site would be overdeveloped and out-of-keeping with Witney's market town appearance, particularly the multi-storey car park.

The mayor, Chrissie Curry, said the town council raised similar concerns during a presentation given to members by Simons Developments, and told the developers that no red brick should be used. They had been given an assurance that the development would have natural stone and neutral colours.

She said the car park would not be overbearing in height, and would be built to look like a building with windows and covered with ivy, rather than an unsightly concrete multi-storey.

Others said they felt there should be more open space, and that the cinema should be relocated - possibly to the former highways depot land, which is currently earmarked for housing in the scheme - to protect green land and historic burgage plots.

There was also a call for developers to make buildings more environmentally friendly -possibly with solar panels and geothermal heating - rather than simply meeting minimum Government standards.

Residents also demanded answers about what operators will move into retail units.

Gloucester Place resident Ian Rose said: "The proposed development is far too big for the site.

"What concerns me is that we have no idea what retailers will go into the units."

He said he was not sure there was a need for extra shops in the town, and was concerned about effects the development may have on existing businesses.

Town councillor David Harvey, who is also chairman of the district council's Marriotts Close working party and a county councillor, said several surveys had been carried out to inform the district council about the needs of people in Witney and surrounding areas.

He said surveys showed that many people from Witney and outlying villages shopped elsewhere.

It was his understanding that Simons would consult with the district council's Marriotts Close working party about which retailers might come to Marriotts. Ms Curry said town councillors had been assured Tesco would not be among them, although no further information had been given.

Mr Harvey said the district council had worked hard to ensure that the development had been planned in the best possible way for Witney - and told the meeting that it was vital for the town's future that it goes ahead.

He said: "Witney is a growth town. There are going to be more houses built in and around Witney. If we don't have this site, Witney will almost certainly die as people leave Witney to go elsewhere.

"This is needed for the future success of Witney."

Ms Curry said all the concerns and views raised would be incorporated into the town council's response to the planning application, which may be considered next month.

* The application can be viewed at the district council's offices, or online at www.westoxon.gov.uk. Copies of comment forms produced by Simons Developments - which will be collated and presented when the council's planning committees consider the application - are available at the Gazette office, in Market Square, Witney.