Plans to redevelop Oxford’s West End into a £500m shopping centre have been approved by planners, with leisure facilities included.

Various proposals for the Westgate Shopping Centre have been afoot since 1988, but certain factors delayed any potential plans.

The proposals include 26,000sq m (279,000sq ft) of cafes and restaurants; more than 5,000sq m (54,000sq ft) of leisure use, including a cinema; between 27 and 122 homes; and two new public squares to provide pedestrian routes through the city.

Also included would be 80,000 square metres of shopping space, anchored by a John Lewis department store.

Westgate Alliance – the developer behind the project – has said that it wants to build a world-class retail and leisure destination.

A council report says the new Westgate would give a boost of more than £4m to Oxford’s infrastructure and create 3,400 jobs.

A consultation on detailed plans will be held in Q2 of 2014, with a full planning application submitted later in the year. The facility is expected to open in 2017.