The Bertie Park consultation has been delayed many times. Ever since last May, it has been postponed one month at a time. Oxford City Council continues to struggle with the practicalities of the project, and so kicks the can down the road. We have been told that an announcement is imminent, so we are treading water, waiting to see what they will come up with.
Why is it so difficult? The Bertie Park development deviates from the local plan. Section 38.6 of the 2004 Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act says that every development should be in accordance with the local plan unless material conditions indicate otherwise. Common law says that any decision to deviate from the local plan should be transparent and based on evidence that is both adequate and intelligible. The local plan says that Bertie Park should not be destroyed or down-graded, but re-provided on the land behind Wytham Street. There are many reasons why this can’t be done. On the other hand, the decision to deviate from the local plan and squeeze the housing and recreation ground into the same plot simply makes no sense.
Bertie Park is NOT a green space, it is a recreation ground.
Save Bertie Park Oxford 