A NEW pool bar and separate animal shelter charity are the latest additions hoping to boost Bicester's lagging high street.

The town's high street has long fallen foul of the national downturn most areas are seeing with empty shops littering town centres.

But the recent sale of Bicester's Crown Walk shopping parade in February hoped would bring about an influx of interest from retailers.

New owners LCP, who took over the open-air parade off Sheep Street from Sainsbury's, to bring the ‘outdated’ parade back into the 21st century.

This week it has announced both the new pool bar and a new animal shelter charity will be opening in the near future.

The American Pool bar is expected to open in the former OYAP Studio, which has been sat empty for a year, having signed a lease for five years.

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Plans submitted by EPJ Poolhall in January said the bar with 'pool/American pool tables' hopes to open from 11am to 11.30pm throughout the week.

The details can be found at cherwell.gov.uk by searching 19/00080/F.

The new charity to set up in Crown Walk, Bicester, is moving into the former Coles Bookstore shop unit after it moved to a larger premises in Crown Walk.

Wood Green Animal Shelter is a charity based in Cambridgeshire with supporting shops in Hertfordshire, Oxfordshire, Northamptonshire, Norfolk and Lincolnshire.

It is believed the new unit will be a shop supporting the charity.

There are also plans that have recently been submitted to Cherwell District Council for approval for a new soft play centre.

Plans appear to show the new activity site proposed for the former Crown Walk Emporium which recently close and hopes to offer soft play, and a cafe.

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The plans have been submitted by Bezuidenhout Limited t/a KidzZoo and a decision is expected before May 20.

LCP retail director Julian Diamond said: "Intensive management of our estate is central to our strategy, ensuring that each scheme operates at optimal levels.

"We recognised that Crown Walk had huge potential and are delighted to have attracted two new tenants to the scheme within weeks of acquiring it."

The 48,820sq ft Crown Walk shopping parade was originally built in 1988.