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The timing of the announcement on the Westgate Centre was extraordinary.

We are accustomed to having to wait until after elections for big announcements from the Government.

To get one of this magnitude the day before an election is unusual.

If it was meant to boost the chances of a flagging Labour party, then it probably failed. The Liberal Democrat leader of Oxford City Council was quick to spread the news and cover his party in the glory.

For some, however, there is no glory in the decision. While the majority of those living and working in and around Oxford await the new Westgate and its centrepiece John Lewis store with anticipation, a small band of people remain adamant that they will oppose it.

They can no longer cling to the idea that the centre has not received full planning approval. The centre has cleared the final hurdle of the democratic process. Few doubted that it would.

We fear that some protesters will use direct action to frustrate the development of the new shopping centre. No doubt, they will enjoy some high-profile publicity if they do. They should not, however, kid themselves that they enjoy any measure of popular support.

We hope that the developers will now kick on with the project. Oxford has fallen behind many other major centres in the region. It needs the new blood of the Westgate redevelopment.

The sooner it is up and running, the sooner we will see the redevelopment of the rest of the West End of Oxford. That project too received the blessing of a planning inspector this week.

Amid the talk of doom and gloom and of the credit crunch, it is heartening to think that in reality we could be on the verge of a vibrant new era in Oxford.

6:44am Friday 2nd May 2008

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