There are (always) 3,000 people on the waiting list for social housing in Oxford. Oxford City Council are consulting on proposals to build on Redbridge Paddock (deadline 11th October). There won’t be anything like a Multi-Use Games Area for teenagers, because there isn’t the room. But Bertie Park is just across the road.
Since the last consultation, they’ve reduced the number of homes on Redbridge from 300 to 240. The extra homes would have been 1-bed flats but they wouldn’t make enough money. Research shows that Oxford’s greatest need is for one- and two-bedroom homes for social rent. OCC currently plans to build 31 affordable homes on Bertie Park. Many of them 1 bed flats. At planning committee in June, they said they could only build 100% affordable housing on Bertie Park with a grant from “Homes England”… They promised faithfully that if they didn’t get the grant, they would review the decision to build on Bertie.
Just a little tiny, weeny problem. They haven’t yet applied for the grant. And it’s far from sure they would get one. Bertie Park has SO many design problems! So why doesn’t OCC apply to Homes England for a grant to build 31 more homes on Redbridge Paddock? That way they wouldn’t NEED to build on Bertie Park. Simples!
