CAR parking, anti-social behaviour and the number of affordable homes were just some of the concerns raised at a meeting with the developers of a proposed £60m shopping centre development in Cowley.

Representatives from NewRiver met with around 30 residents at the Ark T Centre in a session organised by city councillor David Henwood on Monday night.

NewRiver has submitted an application for the major redevelopment of the Templars Square shopping centre, which includes 225 new homes, a 71-bedroom hotel and two new restaurants, and were answering concerns from residents after it emerged a barrage of opposition had been levied against the development.

Jamie Whitfield, development manager at NewRiver told residents there was no focal point of Cowley and he hoped the regeneration would provide a centre to the area.

Opening the meeting, he said: “We bought the shopping centre Templars Square in 2012.

“From that point we always recognised that it was a fantastic centre. It is a large space and is airy. But there are elements we can improve upon.

“It has been a very long process about working out what elements of the site didn’t fit.

“From our point of view there is no sense of arrival to the area. We feel it’s an underwhelming experience that doesn’t fit the shopping centre at all.”

When the floor was thrown open to public there were a number of concerns raised, including car parking and a strain on services with the number of new homes.

Answering concerns over the proposed height of the development, Mr Whitfield said: “We are going to build something that’s going to act as a talisman, as a focal point for Cowley.”

Fresh concerns were also raised over access for emergency vehicles who use Between Towns Roads and have to travel along the front of the shopping centre.

One resident who did not want to be named told the NewRiver team: “I have lived here for 50 years and I know how many emergency vehicles use that road.

“It’s one of the busiest areas in town and you are going to have emergency vehicles and ambulances which use that road so often having problems.”

Mr Whitfield said that the scheme they were developing was ‘sustainable’ in terms of traffic and added: “In terms of traffic flow there will be no traffic impact to Between Towns Road.”

Other residents also raised concerns over a strain on local services with the influx of people and asked for a doctor’s surgery to be included in the plans.

There were further questions of tackling anti-social behaviour in the area and the need for a hotel.

Mike Lampard, architect for the project, answered: “There is a local demand for a hotel. There is a high demand for people to come and stay in Cowley.”

Another resident warned that it was the last old part of Cowley left standing and said the development was poised to swallow it up.

She said: “It’s the only part of Cowley that is left, everything else got destroyed in the 1960s and it just seems a shame that it’s going to get destroyed again.”

NewRiver will hold a further public session on Friday and Saturday at the centre, from noon until 5pm and 10am until 4pm respectively.