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.
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