John Lewis this week renewed its commitment to the new Westgate Centre in Oxford.

It was a timely move as it appears that the Westgate Partnership is reviewing the development to ensure its financial viability.

Quite what that means is anybody's guess. Does it mean a smaller Westgate, does it mean cheaper materials, does it mean a phased development or does it mean a new financial package?

The commitment of John Lewis and the Transform Oxford plan unveiled this week should give the developers heart.

We do not want to see a scaled-down scheme for the Westgate.

We may be experiencing some short-term difficulties as a result of the credit crunch, but the long-term future of Oxford is good.