For 10 years, Tom Hayes was councillor for St Clement’s. He’s now MP for Bournemouth. In 2025 he set up the first all-party parliamentary group on play; fighting hard for recreation grounds like Bertie Park. The government has just published new guidance. Best let Tom explain: Bertie Park is a little different because it isContinue reading “A life-line for Bertie Park”
Tag Archives: Planning permission
Bertie Park and the Aquifer
Bertie Park is an ex-landfill site. The Environment Agency says there is a “high risk” that building on the park could disturb the landfill. Contaminants could start to move into the underground water. The Environment Agency is worried because: the proposed development site is located upon a secondary aquifer which is shallow and has potentialContinue reading “Bertie Park and the Aquifer”
Should Bertie Park be replaced with equal or better?
The government says you shouldn’t build on recreation grounds unless you don’t need them, or you replace them with equal or better. It’s also council policy. Oxford has a list of parks. Back in 2024 the Parks Department reviewed the bye-laws. They removed Bertie from the list because of plans to build on it. AtContinue reading “Should Bertie Park be replaced with equal or better?”
Ex-Mayor doesn’t like playgrounds like Bertie Park
Ex-Mayor Cllr Upton is chair of the planning committee. She summed up before voting to build on Bertie: “I actually think, having grown up in the countryside, I love having wild space to go around that’s not actually a MUGA or a playground. I think having a nature trail around Site B could be actuallyContinue reading “Ex-Mayor doesn’t like playgrounds like Bertie Park”
Planning permission not the end of the story for Bertie Park
Oxford city council planning committee has approved plans for building 100% social/affordable housing on Bertie Park. This depends on the award of a Homes England grant. If they don’t get the grant, they have to go back to planning committee. They will plant blackberry bushes to make sure that people can’t wander off the pathContinue reading “Planning permission not the end of the story for Bertie Park”
What Oxford City Council have said…
* OCC have twice said there’ll be another consultation before Bertie Park goes to planning. Now they say there won’t, because their plans haven’t changed. * When notices went up around Bertie Park in 2024, they said the development did not follow the local plan: Now they say it does. * OCC say their drawingsContinue reading “What Oxford City Council have said…”
We are still at it!
Bertie Park is still busy. OCC have nearly finished cleaning the surface, so we will have a new look soon. The photograph below shows spring on the park: Last October, Oxford City council appropriated the land on Bertie Park. This means that IF OCC get planning permission, they can build on Bertie. But they DON’TContinue reading “We are still at it!”
Save Bertie Park Oxford 