By staff and agencies
Last Updated: 5:38pm BST 23/07/2007

A coven of witches is claiming victory in its battle to get the name of
a £350 million shopping centre changed.

The witches were outraged when developer Hammerson called the Leicester
project - a huge extension of the city's Shires malls - the Highcross
Quarter.

That is also the title for sacred times in the wicca calendar, and the
group of Leicestershire witches had already set up a website with the
same name.

Now, after a year-long wrangle, Hammerson has changed the name of the
development to Highcross Leicester.

The company was not commenting today on whether its trouble with the
local "alternative faith group" had influenced the move.

But in a statement on their website, the witches said: "We received
indications that Hammerson Plc had finally accepted our advice to use
another name altogether.

"It is our expectation that as a 'big' company, Hammerson Plc will now
be big in the way it concedes to us, a small local alternative faith
group, and that we can draw a line under this whole matter.

The coven wanted to set up an internet site to "break through the
ignorance and misunderstanding, prejudice and stigma" attached to
witchcraft.

But it was then forced, it claims, to turn down a number of unsolicited
offers from Hammerson for its domain names Highcrossquarter.com and
Highcrossquarter.co.uk.

When the group refused, the company began proceedings with the United
Nation's World Intellectual Property Organisation, which adjudicates on
internet domain names, to force the coven to hand over the online title,
said Ms Wisecraft.

In a statement, Richard Brown, senior development executive at
Hammerson, said: "Initially, Highcross Quarter was used to describe the
development to potential new retailers and to our city centre partners
in recognition of the wider city regeneration.

"It has now evolved to Highcross Leicester, which we believe will give
it a stronger identity for customers and raise the profile not only of
the development but also the city."