WRANGLING over the potential collapse of a city centre street has held up the plans for the £400m redevelopment of the Westgate Centre.

Oxfordshire County Council, Oxford City Council and the Westgate Alliance have been in deadlock over what would happen if Norfolk Street collapsed because of the planned underground car park.

This means the latest planning application for the shopping centre will not be considered by the city council – Oxford’s planning authority – until mid-November at the earliest, a month later than planned.

City council leader Bob Price said: “The crux of it is to ensure there is an agreement for the county council to repair Norfolk Street if it ever were to collapse because of the underground car park. 

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“The county council is the highways authority so they have to repair it but from their point of view they want to be sure they have got the money for it.” 

While the three parties are now near to finalising a legal agreement, until they do the latest planning application for the redevelopment – which has been submitted – will not be processed. 

The city council had originally expected to consider the application at a planning committee late next month but this will now not happen. 

Mr Price said the council was hoping it would be on the agenda in mid to late November so the construction of the shopping centre was not delayed. 

The agreement – called section 278 – would mean the developers would provide the money for the repair if the street were ever to collapse. 

County Council chief Ian Hudspeth said: “We are looking for a guarantee that the developer would be able to pick up the bill should the street collapse and protecting residents in the future. 

“If the car park collapses, the road collapses and the only way to rebuild the road will be to rebuild the car park. The developer has said there is no risk and if that’s the case they should be willing to take the liability. 

“I want the ability to go to John Lewis as much as the next man but I am not prepared to compromise on this.” 

Mr Hudspeth added that the deal, once signed, would also mean the county council would be protected if the redeveloped Westgate Centre was ever sold. 

City council spokesman Chofamba Sithole said: “It is in the interests of the city council for this to be very clear. The reason the process is still ongoing is because lawyers are going through it with a fine-toothed comb and making sure it is water-tight.” 

Once completed, the shopping centre will have a new two-storey underground car park with 1,100 places, a large John Lewis department shop and cinema and 72,000sq m of new retail space. 

If approved, work on the centre is expected to start early next year and be completed in 2017. 

As part of the work, Norfolk Street will be diverted to make way for the shopping centre, but the area where the street currently is will still be public highway. 

Sara Fuge, development manager for Westgate Oxford Alliance, said: “As you would expect on a development of this scale and complexity there are many issues to be resolved between the key parties. 

“Westgate Oxford Alliance, Oxford City Council and Oxfordshire County Council have been working hard together to ensure that progress continues to be made to enable the planning process to move forwards quickly.

“We expect formal consideration of the reserved matters application in the near future.” 


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