PICTURES: Rare inside glimpse of the new Westgate shopping centre

On Wednesday, ten city councillors were invited to take a tour of the new centre which is expected to open on October 24.

Speaking after the visit, councillor Dick Wolff said: “As a public space I anticipate it being a great asset to the city.

“I was very impressed with the quality of the building and I am sure its environmental performance will be excellent. I was also very impressed with the public space in the centre which looks like a really large concert hall.

“I was intrigued by it and I think it potentially gives the city a major concert hub.

“I think it’s a bit premature to know how they going to use it but it is one to watch.”

The interior was much like a typical mall, he said, but with a few quirks.

He added: “It will change the look of Queen Street. There is a curved archway outside the Westgate which you will see from Carfax. I thought that looks quite inventive and a little bit retro. It reminded me of 1930s art deco.”

When finished, the 800,000 sq ft shopping centre will include more than 100 stores including Body Shop, Accessorize and a John Lewis department store as well as 25 restaurants and a Curzon cinema.

Fellow councillor Elizabeth Wade, who joined the behind-the-scenes tour, also praised the project, saying: “I thought it was amazing being in that building and up on the roof especially, the view is really extraordinary.

“It’s a view that we haven’t had before in the city and I thought it was tremendous.

“Things are really moving forward and it is quite close to being completed now. It will be ready in time for October I am sure.”

She added that the project could even revitalise the neighbourhood and said: “I am hoping it will also help to bring the Castle Quarter to life which has never quite worked in the past.”

Roadworks at Oxpens Road, meanwhile, which have been causing delays near the centre will remain for a further six weeks.