There is a new mood of optimism in Oxford as far as one of its most influential citizens is concerned. Hotelier and restaurateur Jeremy Mogford has been impressed with the progress made that has seen £65m being spent on the Ashmolean Museum, while the transformation of the Bodelian Library and the current redevelopment of the former John Radcliffe Infirmary site, between Woodstock Road and Walton Street, have also caught his eye.

Sipping lemon tea in his Quod restaurant, he takes on board my point that virtually all of this cash has come from the university which is, perhaps, the institution most immune to the effects of recession.

But he is keen to reveal how he, a highly successful private businessman, wants to become involved in this positive trend.

He proffers a sheet of paper which lists the above developments and then highlights his “plans for 2010 and beyond for our business.”

These include a retractable glass roof for the Quod Brasserie in the High Sreet, the transformation of a barn in the car park at the back of the adjacent Old Bank Hotel into a spa, and roof top terrace offering a spectacular view of the Dreaming Spires.

Meanwhile, at his other properties he wants to explore the possibility of up to eight more bedrooms at the Old Parsonage Hotel on Banbury Road, expand Gees restaurant further along and, intriguingly, open a cookery school.

Mr Mogford, 61, explained: “It’s about matching the optimism of the city. It has been ten years since I opened the Old Bank, and it has been a great success.

“Having established ourselves, the aim is to be the leading hotel in Oxford.”

Going through the list of proposed projects, all of which, of course, are subject to planning permission, it is clear Mr Mogford is looking to expand his already considerable footprint in the city, investing, by his estimate, up to £2m in total.

He said: “We had a good year in 2009, despite the recession. We have been competitive and offered extras such as walking tours, which have paid off.”

The idea of the cookery school has been a long-term aim for Mr Mogford, as he believes there is a demand with the continuing interest in food through the ever-growing stream of TV celebrity chefs, as well as a desire to eat more healthily using decent ingredients.

This latter belief stretches way back to the time when the fresh-faced graduate of Surrey University set up the first Brown’s restaurant in Brighton for £10,000, of which £2,500 was borrowed from his father.

By 1996, he had expanded the chain to seven restaurants including Oxford, with an annual turnover of £15m before selling to Bass for £35m.

And it was Oxford he chose to stay, having moved to Rofford Manor, near Little Milton, in the 1980s with wife, Hilary, from which he provides his restaurants with meat and vegetables.

“I’m not interested in doing anything outside Oxford now — I got that out of my system with Brown’s.”

Mr Mogford is convinced there is plenty of demand for more hotel accommodation in Oxford which he dubs “the second city of the south” after London.

“There is an explosion of film location work and Oxford is being promoted more and more on the world stage. More people are thinking about staying longer in the city from across Europe and the United States.

“You can’t see Oxford in half a day by visiting a couple of college quads. It is a matter of pursuing people to spend longer here.”

With more than 30 years in the city, Mr Mogford has strong views about how it is run and believes it is successful in spite of, rather than because of, local government.

A leading member of the Rescue Oxford (ROX) and High Street Association lobbying groups, he is a firm believer in business being able to set the agenda. An example is Tranform Oxford an initiative taken on board by Oxfordshire County Council, the first phase of which has seen the removal of many buses from Queen Street.

He added: “What Oxford needs is a London-style mayor who has the power the council leaders don’t.

“I would like to see the transport system re-organised to be eco-friendly and free.”

Mr Mogford believes independent businesses have suffered under local government policy and the attitude of college landlords charging high rents, which cause small operators to wither on the vine.

“In the last 30 years Oxford has not moved on for the better,” Mr Mogford claimed.

“The boom years in Oxford were the time when I owned Browns in 1976, and the following ten years.

“You could get about in the car, parking enforcement was benign and there was a single local bus company, before deregulation caused hundreds of buses to run up and down the High Street every day, which can’t be good as most of them are only a quarter full.

“And in those days there were more independent shops in places such as Turl Street and Little Clarendon Street.”

But it is clear Mr Mogford’s affection for his adopted home runs deep and his commitment to the next ten years can only be good for the city.