FED-UP Botley residents are still waiting for the day diggers and workmen will show up to start the re-development of a shopping centre.

More than a year ago, planning permission was granted for developers Mace to transformation the West Way Shopping Centre.

On Wednesday night, temporary planning permission was granted by Vale of White Horse District councillors, allowing Mace to change the use of former shops and businesses to house the baptist church while work is carried out.

But co-chairwoman of West Way Community Concern Mary Gill said despite the approval Mace would still be a long way off from starting the project.

She said: "Oxfordshire County Council have asked for a construction management plan and they cannot start work on the site until this is in and approved.

"We have no idea when this is going to be submitted, so again we have just been left waiting.

"Our fears are being realised, we knew this was going to happen, and now some of our most popular shops and businesses have closed unnecessarily - they could still be operating because of the delays.

"What we want to see now is some competency from Mace, stop faffing around and show us you know what you are doing."

Developers Mace were forced to rethink plans for trucks entering and exiting the proposed west Oxford building site after concerns were raised by both Oxfordshire County Council and cycling campaigners.

And during the meeting campaigners raised the issue once more to ensure the concerning feature would be removed from the plans.

Cumnor resident Simon Banks spoke during the planning committee meeting on the issue.

The former health and safety inspector said: “You should have seen their red, embarrassed faces when we played a clip of Tony Blackledge, construction director at Mace, which said we never put left turns into a development and that they always listen to residents.

“But we are relived that in the meeting they pretty much as good as confirmed that there will no be left turns going into the centre.

“It would have been a death trap otherwise.

“So we hope they stick to their word.”

During the meeting director of planning for Savills - who are working with Mace on the project - Neil Rowley committed to the change in the plan, which will hopefully see a right hand turn into Westminster Way and then into Chapel Way where vehicles would turn round on site, to then turn left out of Chapel Way and back onto Westminster Way.

Mace were contacted for a comment.