Petition to stop the Westgate expansion

The proposed plan to triple the size of the Westgate Shopping Centre would increase the risk of local flooding, increase traffic and congestion, demolish Abbey Place, replace dozens of mature trees with saplings and shrubs, block plans for a new bus hub and a pedestrianised Queen Street, and threaten independent shops across the city. The proposed building's inefficient and polluting design is completely unacceptable in a time of climate change.

We call on the Westgate Partnership to put the Westgate expansion on hold until the above problems have been properly addressed.

We call on John Lewis to withdraw from the Westgate expansion and to engage with local residents to find an alternative, green, and people-friendly way to bring a John Lewis store to Oxford.

We call on Oxford City Council to request a full flooding assessment from the Environment Agency to cover not just the site but the surrounding areas (particularly those that flooded in 2007) in line with the new Government flood risk directive (Policy Planning Statement 25).