If OCC build on Bertie Park Recreation Ground there’ll be no space for free play, nowhere for basketball or football and a much smaller play area. The compensation is a 250m path on land behind Wytham Street which Thames Valley Police say isn’t suitable for unaccompanied children. We already have a bridge. OCC want to build a bigger bridge to improve access.
The EA object to the development. This article was in the Oxford Mail: Environment Agency slams plans for more than 30 new Oxford homes. They say “the design of the bridge is entirely inappropriate for the site and wider landscape” because the abutments are within the river bank, and the supporting structures and ramps are to be constructed from gabion baskets:
Environment Agency say this “will impede flood flows and result in a loss of floodplain storage (which) … will increase the risk of flooding both onsite and elsewhere.” They also say that the abutments should be moved back as they would also be a major barrier for wildlife. Apparently there is evidence of increasing otter activity in our area!
Unless OCC build an even bigger bridge for us to reach a 250m “nature” path that we don’t need, the EA are unlikely to grant a Flood Risk Activity Permit. Without this OCC can’t build.
Save Bertie Park Oxford 