Thousands call for open space (From Witney Gazette)

Thousands call for open space

3:41pm Friday 10th February 2006 in Witney By Andrew Alexander

A PETITION calling for green space to be preserved in a major development in Witney town centre has been signed by more than 4,000 people.

Action to Improve Marriotts (AIM), which last month put leaflets through 10,000 doors, collected the signatures at stalls around the town centre.

The group opposes the plans for the Marriotts Close site, at present occupied by the Welch Way car park, the pitch formerly used by Witney Town Football Club and an old county council highways depot.

Last year, the site's owner, West Oxfordshire District Council, picked the company Simons Development to turn the site into a mixture of houses, shops, restaurants, a multi-screen cinema, and multi-storey car park.

The council carried out a series of public consultations, including a poll and public meetings, before choosing from six submitted designs, and a council working party is still discussing with the developer how the site will finally look. The most recent plans available for public inspection did show a public square, but AIM believes at least one acre of green open space should be retained.

AIM member Glynn Phillips said: "This shows there is a substantial body of people, both in Witney and in the West Oxfordshire area, who support what we're advocating.

'We don't seem to be getting any response from the council'

Glynn Phillips

"I did my stint on the stands, and although I admit it is only a subjective impression, the vast majority of people we approached were in favour of green open space. And only a few people either didn't care or disagreed with us.

"We don't seem to be getting any response from the council at the moment. We've written to the leader of the council and the chairman of the Marriotts Close working party, but have had nothing back.

"I'm hoping that this result will stimulate some action from them." The group, which has even produced some poetry on the subject of Marriotts Close, has a display in the window of an empty shop in High Street, next to Rawlins.

Councillor David Harvey, chairman of the Marriotts Close working party, said: "Marriotts Close is an important site for Witney, and it is vital that we get this development right.

"Two large-scale public consultations have already taken place, resulting in a huge amount of feedback, which has helped enormously with the development of the plans.

"The detailed plans for the site have yet to be finalised, but will include improved shopping facilities and public car parking, a cinema, together with housing and significant areas of public amenity space. It would be inappropriate to comment in more detail whilst discussions with the developers and prospective retailers are ongoing, and the detailed plans are still evolving.

"However, there will be another period of public consultation following the submission of the planning application in the spring.

"Generally, there was a very positive public reaction following the earlier phases of consultation. The current campaign being promoted by the AIM group is misleading in its reference to a concrete jungle, and premature in advance of the plans for the site being finalised.

"I would like to reassure people of the council's intentions to secure a high-quality development, to meet a range of needs which the public have identified as being important for the residents of Witney and the surrounding area."

Planners predict work on the development site, most of which has been unused for more than 13 years, could start as early as next year