MANAGERS of a £200m scheme to redevelop Oxpens say it will only go ahead when the right development partner has been found, as civic leaders called for a transport scheme to be created first for the West End of Oxford.

The scheme, led by the city council and Nuffield College, is the next phase of the regeneration of the West End, and follows the revamp of the Westgate Centre.

The Oxpens scheme will feature a mixed housing and commercial quarter, including office space and about 500 homes.

The hunt for a developer to take forward the proposed Oxpens scheme is under way and consultants Bidwells are aiming for a developer to sign up to the scheme by April but former city council leader Bob Price said he was ‘happy to wait’ to get the project right.

If a developer signs up by April it would keep the project on track for building work to start on the first 20 new homes in 2019/2020.

Ian Green, chairman of Oxford Civic Society, urged the council not to ‘rush ahead’ with the redevelopment of Oxpens until ‘an efficient and effective’ transport plan was in place for the West End, taking into account Oxpens, Frideswide Square, the railway centre and the Westgate Centre.

Bob Price, executive board member for corporate strategy and economic development, said: “In 2016 we said that we planned to start work on the £200m Oxpens redevelopment – bringing up to 500 new homes, together with offices and commercial space, to the heart of Oxford – after the opening of Westgate Oxford - that remains the case.

“As planned, Oxford City Council and Nuffield College are currently in the process of shortlisting a development partner.

“Once they have been appointed, a masterplan will be developed.

“At that stage, when we have more detailed proposals, we will be in a position to undertake a public consultation.

“We have never publicly given precise timescales for the development because we think it is much more important to have the right development partner and the right scheme.

“We are happy to wait to get this project right – it is a hugely significant scheme to the future of Oxford city centre.”

The regeneration of the West End will also include the Oxford Station redevelopment and the £600m Osney Mead project.

The Osney Mead development could begin in 2019 and would be a 20-year project, while work on the station is earmarked for the early 2020s. The council and the college have formed a joint venture company to bring together different pieces of land at Oxpens.