Business leaders in Bicester hope to triple the number of people who shop in the town.

More than 150 interested parties discussed how to promote the town at the inaugural meeting of Bicester Vision at the Cooper School on Thursday.

Vision chairman Bob Langton said the meeting was the start of an ongoing strategy.

He said: "We had about 160 people from all sorts of businesses and walks of life."

He added: "Only about one resident in five actually uses shops in Bicester - we want to get that up to three in five.

"The other wish is that we provide more jobs in town. At the moment about 60 per cent of residents commute to work - we want 60 per cent working in the town."

Mr Langton said Bicester Vision aimed to identify specific needs and work with developers to deliver improvements.

He pointed to the £70m redevelopment of the town centre, the expansion of Wyevale Garden Centre and plans for a new business park and hotel on the outskirts of town as real opportunities to safeguard the town's future.

Bicester Vision has secured funding for a full-time manager, Rachel Faulkner, 40, to keep the community informed about developments and to prepare and deliver strategies on behalf of the group's stakeholders, which include businesses and local councils.

To find out more visit www.bicestervision.co.uk