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£60m plan to transform Cowley shopping centre Scheme features a hotel, shops, restaurants and 200 flats By George Welch A £60-MILLION plan has been revealed to transform an Oxford shopping centre originally dating back to the sixties. The multi-million scheme to ‘reinvigorate and revitalise’ Templars Square in Cowley was unveiled by developers NewRiver last week, who also released images of their plan for the fi rst time. It includes shops, a hotel, restau-
rants, an improved streetscape and pedestrian routes, a modernised car park and stylish new feature entrances. More than 200 one-, two- and threebedroom apartments, including affordable homes, are also being proposed. NewRiver said the application “will preserve the much loved existing Templars Square shops, while bringing forward a range of significant improvements to create a more vibrant and
thriving community in Cowley”. It added that the proposals presented a “once in a generation opportunity to revitalise Cowley town centre”. The original open-air Cowley Centre was opened in 1965 but transformed decades later when it was roofed over and became Templars Square. NewRiver is in talks with Oxford City Council over the plan and will be staging a public consultation at Templars
Square on January 20 and 21. Cowley councillor Dave Henwood said there were still design changes to be submitted. He said: “Currently the social housing doesn’t meet requirements, so the developer will have to come back with a different plan. “We have also asked for raised and diagonal crossings to be included around the schools to slow the traffic
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and make it safer for the children.” The shopping centre has been well kept, but Mr Henwood said: “The outside needs a facelift and maybe even some surgery.” He added: “This is a great opportunity for the area and we are excited about the changes.” NewRiver holds the lease to the site VË Í ÖjÄË Ë¬?~jËÏ