THE road layout for the new £440m Westgate Shopping Centre is a 'recipe for disaster', civic and cycling groups have warned.

Oxford Civic Society has raised safety concerns about the bends of a new road which will snake around the complex.

It claims the corners are too tight, potentially leaving vehicles little room for manoeuvre and making it 'dangerous' for cyclists.

At its narrowest point, one of the road's corners will leave just 60cm between passing buses.

Highways authority Oxfordshire County Council says the arrangement is safe, but it emerged last night that one bus company was 'urgently' seeking an explanation.

Civic society chairman Peter Thompson said: "Our issue is about the numbers of buses and the capacity for the roads to accommodate them all without causing massive obstructions or accidents.

"If you put into the equation the fact there will be cyclists mixed up with that, and these really tight corners, we think it is a recipe for disaster.

"These things are a consequence of the way they have tried to fill the site as much as possible with the buildings.

"You can argue it shouldn't waste space but to compromise safety by designing it to gain a few square metres is pretty reprehensible."

The civic society has highlighted two corners that will be on the north side of the building set to be occupied by John Lewis – the flagship tenant – as its biggest concern.

A safety audit of the road – released after a Freedom of Information request – warned two buses passing each other on the bends would be 'extremely close' to one another.

It said the minimum distance between them in original designs would be just 50cm, adding: "There is no room for error."

But a response from designers hired by developer Westgate Oxford Alliance said the road was 'deliberately been kept narrow' to make vehicles slow down.

Phil Southall, managing director of Oxford Bus Company, said: "We were surprised to see this report and are concerned it seems to suggest that the guidance we've provided to the county council on minimum acceptable road widths may not have been taken on board.

"We are working closely with the council and Westgate Alliance on several matters related to the new development and so will be following this issue up urgently with them."

The county council has since confirmed some changes have now been made to the road, with clearance now 135cm on the eastern bend.

But on the western bend it admitted one five-metre stretch of corner still only left 60cm of clearance.

A spokesman said: "As a result of the findings of the audit, adjustments were made to the bends on the new bus link.

"We are satisfied that the correct balance has been achieved between the provision of adequate road width for buses to pass un-hindered, while also ensuring that vehicle speeds are kept low.

"Visibility through the bends is good for buses travelling in both directions and also for pedestrians using the space."

Westgate Oxford Alliance development manager Sara Fuge said: "The issues highlighted by the audit have been resolved and the highways work has been planned and carried out with the agreement of the county council as highway authority."

But Cycling UK Oxford branch spokesman Graham Smith said his organisation also has several concerns.

He claimed cycle lanes leading up to the south side of the new Westgate complex in Oxpens Road would be too narrow and said the link road around the centre was 'scary'.

Mr Smith said: "Safe cycling has just really not been considered. If you are rebuilding roads like this it makes sense to have the safest provision possible.

"But this does not even meet the new standards set for cycling by the county council itself – it is outrageous."

The Westgate Shopping Centre is set to reopen in October after its revamp.