Didcot Gateway redevelopment set to go ahead

The "Didcot Gateway" include plans for a hotel, shops, leisure facilities and apartments

A £60m redevelopment of Didcot is to go ahead after councillors approved plans including 300 new homes, shops, a hotel and leisure facilities.

South Oxfordshire District Council's scheme for the new Didcot Gateway was approved by its own planning committee.

Council leader John Cotton called it a "really important step in making Didcot a bigger and brighter place".

But a member of a group opposing the scheme said Didcot did not need or want iconic buildings or a vanity project.

Penny Dakin Kiley, member of the group Local Voice For Didcot Gateway, said while she was not against redevelopment in principle, she wanted to see housing sympathetic to the existing buildings in the area.

"We believe this is a vanity project on behalf of the council," she said.

"They're talking in terms of iconic gateway buildings. We don't believe Didcot needs or wants iconic gateway buildings, or that they'll make any difference to the visitors here."

The council said it hoped to start construction on the site within two years

There have been 29 objections by residents concerned about the height of buildings, noise from increased traffic, and the lack of parking.

But Mr Cotton said it was a "really exciting scheme".

He added: "It's always tricky when it looks like something quite enormous could be built in front of your house. We're sensitive to that.

"There's more work to be done with residents to get it exactly right."

The council said it hoped to start construction on the site within two years.