“ENCOURAGING” interest in empty shops in Banbury suggests the town is recovering from the recession, a council leader has said.

Cherwell District Council’s Norman Bolster said he was optimistic units will be filled.

Nine shops have opened in the past four months, cutting the total number of empty units from 53 to 44.

They include Games Workshop, Lucha Burrito, Naomi’s Cafe Bar and the reopened Coach and Horses pub.

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A survey in October 2011 revealed there were 33 empty units out of 410.

Mr Bolster, the council’s lead member for estates and the economy, said: “Anything which improves the uptake of premises in town centres is a good thing. As the economy picks up this will become a new growth trend for Banbury.”

He added there are “very encouraging levels of interest” in remaining empty units and more could be filled in the next year.

Apart from units already in the process of reopening, he said: “Commercial agents in the town have reported other units that were empty are now under offer and our town co-ordinators are hosting visits by business people from other towns to check out options for them in Banbury.”

Philip Al-Anazi, owner and manager of Mexican food shop Lucha Burrito, which opened in High Street last month, said: “It’s going really well, we’ve been doing a lot of business.”

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