Marriotts: Plans approved (From Witney Gazette)

Marriotts: Plans approved

7:00pm Tuesday 19th December 2006 in Witney By Rosalind Miles

WITNEY'S controversial Marriotts Close plans have been approved.

West Oxfordshire district councillors backed their planning officers to give their seal of approval by 16 votes in favour, none against, and four abstentions - so giving the go-ahead to the revised proposals for a five-screen cinema, multi-storey car park, shops and houses on the town centre site.

The scheme has been in the planning process for more than five years.

Many Witney residents had objected to the plans, saying they wanted more green space. A total of 4,000 people had signed an Action to Improve Marriotts Close petition to this effect.

Council planning officers had recommended the scheme for approval - subject to conservation area and listed building consent and clarifications about the effect on local shops - and councillors yesterday gave their final blessing.

Peter Handley, district councillor for Carterton, said: "The officers have done a damn good job. It is now a better skyline and the car park building in itself looks good.

'We have to move with the times, Witney is a growing town. If you don't like it, move to Burford'

Carterton councillor Peter Handley

"At the end of the day progress has to take place.

"We have to move with the times, Witney is a growing town.

"If you don't like it, move to Burford."

Officers said the latest plans were an improvement on previous schemes. Their report said: "The scheme had been amended, providing a variation in the building line, eaves line and roof form, whilst retaining the screen effect to the multi-storey car park.

"There is no doubt that this proposal will be of significant scale and will substantially change the appearance and character of the town. However, the latest changes have substantially lessened its impact."

Simons Developments is offering 30 per cent affordable housing on some of the site, but not all. Officers backed the plan, because the developer promised to build public works, including a cinema, car park and park.

Significantly, Oxfordshire County Council raised no objections to the development on grounds of traffic congestion. The county will get £50,000 of "planning gain" from the developers to spend on Witney library, Wood Green and Tower Hill schools, Dix Pit recycling centre, Standlake Museum and Moor View resource centre. Anger had been expressed by some residents over the felling of mature trees on the site, but officers said: "The substantial improvements to the public domain in Welch Way and the extensive planting proposed all weigh very heavily in favour of supporting the scheme. The loss of the mature trees is clearly a negative factor, but this does not outweigh the substantial benefits to the conservation area."