A HOTEL group has been confirmed for the West Way Shopping Centre in Botley.

At a community group's annual general meeting, residents were told Premier Inn will be part of the multi-million pound redevelopment of the area.

Members of West Way Community Concern gathered at St Peter and St Paul's Church in Botley also discussed the group's next moves following Vale of White Horse District Council's approval of developer Mace's plans.

Stuart Walker, major applications officer at the Vale, was on hand to answer concerns over parking and student accommodation.

Vale councillor for Cumnor Dudley Hoddinott flagged his concerns for when work would finally begin at the site and the number of vehicles that would 'jam up' the area.

He said: "Where are the workmen going to park?

"Already we have problems with people parking here there and everywhere because there is not enough space.

"There will be all the equipment coming in and I think traffic and parking is going to be a big problem here."

One resident asked about healthcare provision in the town, with Botley Medical Centre already struggling with the number of patients.

She asked: "How will the surgery cope with all the extra residents not only from this development but also residents from the new care homes in Cumnor Hill?

"The practice is currently struggling, they can not recruit enough GPs to keep up with existing residents, has any thought been given to this?"

Mr Walker explained that a request needed to be submitted from the NHS for extra money to expand the facilities.

Members resolved to continue speaking to Mace and they will take part in a community liaison group meeting this month.

Dr Mary Gill, co-chairwoman of West Way Community Concern, said: "There are a lot of conditions with this application, about 50.

"So we will make sure these have all been adhered to and addressed properly before work can begin.

"We still want to get the best deal for Botley."

The value of the land, before it was sold to Mace, has been confirmed by Vale district councillor Debby Hallett as being worth £7 million.

She said: "They told me that the net book value for west way property at Botley was £7m.

"What this value is, is similar to how our properties are valued.

"We still do not have the sales price in the public domain but what we have here is something close to what it could have been sold for.

"The vale do not consider that they have got themselves into a pickle and still think they've got a good deal by selling it for a reasonable price."

Although planning permission was granted for the site in the summer, a Vale spokesman said the land 'has not yet been sold.'