RESIDENTS welcomed a pledge by a justice minister to look at alternative sites for a new probation centre before it signs a lease on a property in west Oxford.

Evan Harris, Oxford West and Abingdon MP, took campaigners to meet David Hanson to seek assurances that the proposed opening of the centre in Mill Street, Osney, would not be rushed through.

Many residents are worried about the impact of 350 criminals, including some sex offenders, regularly walking to the centre at Trajan House in Mill Street.

The centre would not need planning permission and neighbours were worried it would be set up without consultation.

Following the meeting at the Ministry of Justice in London yesterday, Dr Harris said Mr Hanson had agreed to consider alternative sites.

He said: “It’s the biggest step forward since the campaign began.

“I’m pleased that local residents, local councillors and I were able to put our concerns directly to the minister. By the end of the meeting, Mr Hanson agreed that there would be a full search for alternative properties. We argued that they had never done that.”

Matthew Savage, from Barrett Street, said: “I am very pleased that we were given the assurance, not only that the lease on the building in Mill Street would not be signed by the Government for the time being, but that the Home Office would conduct a proper search for alternative sites.”

The ministry has been in talks to lease offices at Trajan House as part of restructuring the county’s probation service.

The plan is for the county’s probation services to be centralised at the new Oxford centre, with the closure of probation offices in Abingdon, Cowley and Banbury.

Dr Harris added: “The minister acknowledged that there was a real question over whether the Home Office Property people had ever done an adequate search of the area for better sites, and also whether the probation service had settled on Trajan House too early in the process”.

Campaigner Rosemary Preston said: “It was a very good meeting, but the Trajan House mega-probation centre is still very much on the table.

“No amount of informal engagement by the probation centre will make that proposal acceptable.”

Zoe Campbell, a Ministry of Justice spokesman, said: “It was a productive meeting where it was agreed that Thames Valley Probation will host an exhibition to engage with the public.

“We will continue to examine sites in Oxford and have agreed to look into those suggested within the required timescale.”

Under the proposals, an office in Bicester would stay, and a new one would open in Banbury.

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