It is great to see recent interest in the Save Bertie Park campaign from the Oxford Mail and That’s.tv.
https://www.oxfordmail.co.uk/news/19626906.fight-save-bertie-park-city-councils-housing-development-continues/
Both pieces say why the park is important to us. The fact that the current proposals are not in the plan, and that we were not consulted, is edited out. Both pieces end with the statement always made by Alex Hollingsworth (OCC cabinet member for planning and housing delivery):
Are the current proposals for Bertie Park in the Local Plan?
Bertie Park has been on local plans since 2001 because somebody thought that the recreation ground could simply be moved. All of the local plans say:
Plot B is the land behind Wytham St previously called “the Back Fields” or “Cold Harbour Nature Reserve”. It has no thoroughfare, it is not overlooked and can seem quite a scary place. Council policy says that it is not suitable for a play space:
The police agree.
So OCC are planning to squeeze the new development into our recreation ground.
Is this in the local plan?
When they carried out their extensive consultation for the local plan, who did they consult, and which questions did they ask?
Did they ask the police whether plot B was appropriate for a recreation ground?
Did they ask us if we wanted a new housing development squeezed into our recreation ground? How could they, if this was not what the Local Plan intended?
Not in the plan, not consulted, not our choice.
If you support us, please follow this blog or facebook page or contact savebertie@gmail.com to join our campaign.
Save Bertie Park Oxford 