OCC are working on their new “2042” local plan. They want to lump recreation grounds in with “Green Infrastructure.” Nature is the priority. The “potential for recreation and movement should also be considered” … Green Infrastructure does not have to be “overly designed or dominated by fixed equipment”… It could have “wild areas and facilities that encourage engagement with nature and free-play.”
We all know that government guidance says this:
The plan says constructors who want to build on Green Infrastructure should consider “how any loss can be mitigated, especially if this is located in an area which already suffers from a deficit.” OCC say that Bertie Park is needed. But they want to build 31 homes. They admit there will be nowhere for free play, but insist that any loss will be “fully compensated for” in less than 20% of the current recreation ground. If they can do this to Bertie Park, they can do this to any recreation ground in Oxford.
The government’s National Planning Policy Framework protects bats. Why don’t we protect children too? (MP Natalie Elphicke). It is right to build a city that is resilient to climate change so that our children have a future, but this should not be done at the expense of their childhood. Read our response to OCC’s consultation on its 2042 proposals here.
Save Bertie Park Oxford 