LANDOWNERS and tenants have been given longer to respond to an appeal made over the West Way redevelopment in Botley due to the Christmas break.

The Vale of White Horse planning committee unanimously rejected plans for the £100m scheme at the start of December. Doric Properties and Mace, the firms behind the plans, then lodged an appeal against the decision, stating in a public notice that landowners and tenants had until yesterday to make representations.

But the Planning Inspectorate has confirmed it will accept submissions until at least January 8, in accordance with planning regulations.

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Planning Inspectorate spokesman Peter Bond said: “When the appellant is not the landowner then they must serve a notice on the land owner in which the land owner or tenant has 21 days in which to make a representation.”

Head of communications Stuart Campbell added that any representations received shortly after that date would be considered on a case-by-case basis because of the Christmas and New Year break.

Mr Campbell said: “We are not sure why Doric set January 2 as a deadline but we will continue to consider representations until a later date.”

Other interested parties could then have five weeks to make representations should the request for an appeal be granted.

Campaigners had initially worried that it would be difficult to get people to respond before the January 2 deadline.

Co-chairman of West Way Community Concern Chris Church said: “Our initial concern when we heard the appeal had gone in was, ‘what the hell is going on?’ “But we immediately knew that something was wrong because it was in the adverts in the papers before the appeal had been lodged with the Planning Inspectorate.

“We were concerned that some of our company would be unnecessarily alarmed by that date.”

The redevelopment, if it went ahead, would result in the demolition of art deco shop fronts at Elms Parade and 67 residential units in Field House.

Plans include a six-screen Cineworld cinema, a new supermarket, a library, leisure facilities and a 100-bed Premier Inn hotel.

The Oxford Mail contacted Doric but no one was available for comment.

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