Under the agreed terms, Mace has become a joint venture partner and shareholder in Doric Properties to redevelop Botley shopping centre in Oxfordshire. The £100m scheme involves the redevelopment of the current shopping area dating back to 1960s.
The plans will see the construction of a new supermarket, a cinema, a hotel, restaurants and cafés, 525 student bedrooms, community spaces, and a Baptist Church. The new facilities will be located around a new pedestrian zone with an access to a large car park under a podium.
Plans for the regeneration scheme were submitted to Vale of White Horse District Council in December 2013 and the decision by its planning committee is yet to be announced as well as the amount of construction jobs that will be created as a result.
Mace Investments COO, David Grover, commented on the announcement: "The proposals will create a fantastic new district centre, bringing together a large supermarket, leisure opportunities and community functions to serve the west of Oxford community.
"Mace has a strong track record in Oxford stemming back to our work with the University of Oxford and we are keen to extend our success by bringing our investment, development consultancy and construction expertise to Doric's proposals. We're already working closely with Doric's team on the details of the environmental impact assessment and the construction and phasing and we believe that we have already made some very positive progress and are confident that we can bring forward further enhancements."
Simon Hillcox, joint owner of Doric Properties, said: "Having seen the breadth and depth of their experience in the Oxford area it was an extremely easy decision to partner with Mace.” "We firmly believe that our partnership agreement brings us a step closer to delivering the revitalisation of Botley as part of proposals which deliver a commercially viable and socially dynamic scheme. We're going to provide a whole range of new and improved community facilities functioning alongside a renewed shopping environment."
Mace has already delivered a number of projects in Oxford, including Oxfordshire County Council's Central Offices, the Saïd Business School, the New Bodleian Library and the Ashmolean Museum.
Photo Source: Construction Enquirer