Objections to canal-side development

USING the slogan that a new massive development in Banbury will 'make the Oxford Canal an attractive destination', developers want to convince the locals it is a good thing.

However, the plans for 'Castle Quay Shopping Centre' have generated a petition with 900 signatures of people opposed to them, Alan Tilbury reveals.

Shopping complex

It was a few years ago that a large shopping complex was developed at Banbury, doing away with the old lift bridge (pictured) that the yobs offered to lift for boaters, then dropping it on to their boats.

But now a new complex of a much larger scale is being proposed, including a 92 bedroom hotel, cinema, restaurants, cafés and a supermarket, as an extension to the existing shopping centre.

Shops empty

Gemma Prescott who organised the petition complained:

"We've got shopping centres already, and half the shops are empty. We've got five hotels at the top of the town. What are they going to do for business?"

The council however estimates that the development would create 700 jobs, and believes it would enhance the canal as a destination in Banbury.

The plans include a glazed canopy and two new bridges over the waterway and would take five years to build.