Oxford City Council wants to “grow” Oxford. It will create way more jobs than homes. Surrounding authorities have to build homes for the people who work in Oxford. And so OCC has to build on every single site on the local plan.
Bertie Park is on the local plan. OCC say that social housing is more important than our recreation ground. But even working families need amenities. The government says that you can’t build on recreation grounds without replacing them with something equivalent or better.
OCC can’t do this. They fully accept that their new play area will be nowhere near equivalent. It won’t meet either current or future needs in this area.
The government says “Planning … decisions should aim to achieve healthy, inclusive and safe places … so that crime and disorder, and the fear of crime, do not undermine the quality of life or community cohesion.”
They want to offset the loss of our recreation ground by providing a nature trail on an area that Thames Valley Police say is unsafe for unaccompanied children, and where women also feel unsafe.
For OCC, the loss of Bertie Park is a small price to pay for getting other authorities to build homes for Oxford. They don’t care that people working in Oxford will have long and expensive commutes. Oxford should export its jobs, not its housing. People should be able to live where they work, and our kids should be able to play where they live.
This is why we are still fighting to keep our recreation ground.
Save Bertie Park Oxford 