TOWN councillors have vowed they will not just 'roll over' out after a housing developer u-turned on a promise to build new shops.

Vanderbilt Homes, which originally said it was going to build five shops with its new block of flats on Wallingford Street, Wantage, has now revealed a plan which includes no shops at all.

The company had submitted a planning application to Vale of White Horse District Council to change the shopping units in its under construction scheme, already reduced to two from five, to 'A2 class', which includes banks, building societies and estate agents.

While it has since been removed so the company can strengthen its case, for Wantage councillors who opposed the development from the point when the original Blanshard's Fabrics and James Heating shops on the site were demolished, the u-turn was an insult.

At a meeting this month, the council's planning committee agreed to register serious concerns with the Vale.

It has also asked how the use of those units for financial services fits in with the Vale's own retail strategy which aims to boost the number of shops.

Committee chairman Julia Reynolds said: "I reckon they were hoping we would just roll over and say 'we can't do anything about it', but we're not going to roll over.

"We were promised two retail units so this is a chance for the Vale to look at their retail strategy and I am hoping they will say 'no, we want it to stay as retail'.

"We want to try to regenerate that end of town: most of Wallingford Street is fast food takeaways and we'd like to keep it vibrant."

Under the government's permitted development rules, Vanderbilt would not even need planning permission for the change – if the unit had already been occupied by a retailer.

But because it is being built a formal application is needed.

The company did not respond to a request for comment.

Vanderbilt first applied for planning permission to build five shops and 12 flats in 2010.

That original scheme involved refurbishing the two 18th century buildings on the site which were the last in a row of timber-framed shops demolished in 1972 to make way for the Waitrose supermarket.

The Vale granted planning permission and traders welcomed the retail boost.

Vanderbilt then said the buildings were 'incapable of re-use without wholesale reconstruction' and demolished them.

After several more iterations the company submitted and won approval for its current scheme – two shops and 24 flats above.

Mrs Reynolds said: "We were promised we would have shops there because we did have retail there before.

"We want to make sure that end of town doesn't just become Waitrose and fast food.

"Personally I would love a shoe shop – I think a lot of people would."