4,000 want green space (From Witney Gazette)

4,000 want green space

3:24pm Monday 20th February 2006 in Witney By Andrew Alexander

FOUR thousand people are demanding a corner of green space to be kept within a Witney town-centre development.

Geoffrey Nutt and Glynn Phillips, from Action to Improve Marriotts (AIM) have handed a 4,000-signature petition to Geoff Bonner and David Harvey, of West Oxfordshire District Council.

The group has argued that Marriotts Close, a planned redevelopment of land formerly home to the town football club, is at risk of becoming a 'concrete jungle'.

The district council, which owns the land, carried out a series of public consultations, before choosing the proposed mixture of shops, houses, a multi-screen cinema, and multi-storey car park.

Mr Nutt said: "This is an impressive level of support, even greater than the 2003 town poll to reject the superstore planning application on this site. We urge WODC to ensure that the Marriotts Close development includes one acre of green space, to reflect this strong expression of the wishes of West Oxfordshire voters."

David Harvey, chairman of the Marriotts Close working party, said: "We would like to thank Mr Nutt for taking the time to give us his petition.

"There will be a further round of public consultation, and everyone in Witney and the whole of West Oxfordshire will have the opportunity to comment on the published designs."

David Harvey, chairman of the Marriotts Close working party

"I look forward to the developers submitting their plans to the district council for planning permission, at which point there will be a further round of public consultation, and everyone in Witney and the whole of West Oxfordshire will have the opportunity to comment on the published designs."

It is expected the application will be made within the next few months.