Stunningly unpopular

He is using the wrong criteria.

The proposed redevelopment of the whole of the Botley shopping centre is fundamentally different to the Mace schemes that include the extension of the Ashmolean Museum and the refurbishment of the New Bodleian Library.

The West Way redevelopment, as proposed by Doric, is stunningly unpopular. It is not wanted by over 90 per cent of users and local residents, with about 900 objections on the Vale district website. Residents want a smaller scheme, as originally proposed and not Doric’s massive ‘District Centre’.

Proposals to extend the Ashmolean Museum would not have included the demolition of 67 homes for elderly residents, flattening the premises of 35 local businesses nor demolishing the centre of a community.

They would not have included the compulsory purchase and demolition of a 1930s shopping arcade that has some architectural merit and is still owned by the local family that built it.

The Environment Impact Assessment has a traffic assessment that contains errors, missing information and incorrect conclusions. The impact on the demolished businesses will be much worse than suggested and the closest store, Aldi, has been omitted from their analysis.

The latest walk-through video is misleading. It does not show how massive the seven-storey buildings would look, nor the overshadowing produced.

Mr Griffiths should think again about the risk to his reputation. He asks: “Trust us.” So far very few people have any trust in this proposal. The risks are huge and we could be left with an under-used and unloved white elephant.

Dr Dudley Hoddinott, Liberal Democrat district councillor for Cumnor and Appleton, Cumnor Hill