For Immediate Release – 29th March 2008
Campaigners Celebrate Westgate Delay With Street Party Protest
Campaigners took a pirate ship, a dozen inflatable sharks and a samba band into the Westgate Shopping Centre today to celebrate a significant setback for its planned expansion. Building work on the expanded Westgate – which Oxford residents say will increase traffic, flooding and greenhouse gas emissions – has been postponed until 2009.
Local campaigners drew large crowds on Cornmarket and around (and inside) the Westgate Centre with the musical stunt, which had a watery theme to raise awareness of the flooding risk to neighbourhoods in West and South Oxford. They launched a new petition, calling for a full Environment Agency flooding assessment for the expansion plans. The campaigners were also distributing a “Real Consultation” document, to find out what Oxford residents really want to see in the middle of their city.
The protest had a fun and friendly air – a pair of pirates sailed around the City Centre in a home-made boat as campaigners asked the crowd to “stop the Westgate pirates from sinking Oxford”. There was only one unpleasant moment, when a security guard threatened to smash a photographer’s camera. The guard was reported to the Westgate Centre manager.
One of the campaigners, Jess Worth,said “We’re in the Centre today to start doing the consultation that the City Council failed to do. We’re asking Oxford residents what they want to see on this site – ninety new chain stores, or an eco-friendly development with affordable homes, a bus station, a marketplace and public green spaces?”
According to the Westgate Partnership, building work has been postponed because a public enquiry into the demolition of Abbey Place, a street of sheltered accommodation, won’t make its ruling on the legality of the plans until May 2008. However,the Partnership have not yet explained why this requires a delay until 2009.
Danny Chivers, a local resident and a member of the Oxford Against Westgate Expansion (OAWE) campaign, said: “This is great news- every month that the scheme is delayed gives Oxford residents more time to raise awareness about how bad the current plans are, and to put together some saner alternatives. It’s outrageous that they started felling trees in January when the public enquiry hadn’t given them the final go-ahead. Perhaps now they’ve realised that the many problems with the scheme – that have been highlighted by our campaign – aren’t going to go away and need to be taken seriously.”
ENDS
Notes for editors:
* A full briefing, “What’s Wrong With The Westgate Expansion”, is available at
http://westgatewatch.files.wordpress.com/2008/02/whats_wrong_with_westgate.pdf
* For interviews and more information,contact
oxfordagainstwestgate@activist.com