Oxford City Council has approved NewRiver’s plans for the €68.3m (£60m) development of Templars Square in Cowley.
NewRiver REIT, the owners of the shopping centre and site, will deliver a major mixed-use regeneration. The proposed plans will revitalise the heart of Cowley and improve the retail and leisure experience for shoppers and the wider local community.
The proposals will preserve the much-loved existing Templars Square shops, while bringing forward a range of significant improvements to the area. These include the addition of a hotel; new restaurant units for leading national operators; new housing; a dramatically improved streetscape and pedestrian routes; upgraded and modernised car parking; and new feature entrances. This once in a generation investment will act as a major catalyst to growth and further investment for the whole town. Around 60 new jobs will be created, alongside 300 construction jobs.
Jamie Whitfield, Director of Commercial Development at NewRiver, commented: “We are delighted that Oxford City Council has approved our proposals to rejuvenate the heart of Cowley town centre. We have been working alongside the council and the local residents over two years, and as a long-term investor in the town, we look forward to introducing new restaurants, homes, a hotel, jobs to the area and revitalising the tired entrances and public realm. We look forward to continuing our partnership with the local communities as we move toward the delivery phase of this exciting step-change for Cowley’s future”.
NewRiver has worked with the local community throughout the development of the proposals, responding to feedback and incorporating this to further shape the scheme. NewRiver has engaged with residents via public exhibitions in 2015, an information session on the submitted plans in 2017, and meetings with residents groups throughout. NewRiver remains committed to engaging and working with the local community and representative groups throughout construction, to mitigate any disruption caused. The dynamic mix of new uses proposed by NewRiver will improve the experience for shoppers and the wider local community.
