YESTERDAY’S demolition work on the site of the new Westgate Centre caught many by surprise.

The razing of the Duke of York pub is the first step in the long road to the eventual £330m revamp of the crumbling mall.

We are told empty buildings at Oxpens College are next in line before the white elephant that is the Westgate car park comes down. We fancy there are tens of thousands of people who would gladly pay to flick the switch that brings the eyesore to its knees.

The Westgate Centre revamp has been shrouded in uncertainty, with whispers it could be shelved indefinitely because of the recession. If this is a sign the project is back on the radar, it is good news for Oxford.