It doesn’t make sense to reduce our recreation ground to 1/5th the size while bringing more people into the area. We still don’t know why Bertie Park is the only recreation ground in Oxford being treated in this way.

At the cabinet meeting on Wednesday 9th August, OCC wanted to do 3 things:
1. Approve the project to build on Bertie Park.
2. Enter into an agreement with OX Place.
3. Start the process for appropriating the land on Bertie Park.
We said there was no point approving the project or entering into an agreement unless they can appropriate the land. OCC agreed. We pointed out just how difficult appropriation will be. Watch our speech below:
OCC have now started the process of appropriation. They will advertise in the local paper, and consider objections. They say:
“The Cabinet is under a legal obligation to consider all relevant factors including those raised in (our) objections in the decision to appropriate the land. As a result it is possible that the Cabinet will decide not to appropriate the land” on Bertie Park.
Unedited video of the OCC cabinet meeting on 9th August here.
As I have asked before wasn’t all the land around Bertie place contaminated (Mercury I think) I can remember the council removing all the soil from the gardens backing on to Bertie place and surrounding properties back in the 90s.
So I would assume the soil on Bertie Rec to be the same not the best place to build new homes, maybe best to let sleeping grass land be. It’s the only park in the area for the little ones to play and grow up safely.
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