News RSS Feed


'Lewis' backs boatyard campaign

5:30am Monday 10th December 2007

comment Comments (21)   Have your say »


Actor Kevin Whately, famous worldwide as Sgt Lewis in the Morse series, is backing the campaign against a new waterside development in Jericho, Oxford.

Spring Residential's scheme to build 54 flats on former British Waterways' land has sparked one of the city's most bitter land disputes in recent years, leading to the closure of the historic Castle Mill boatyard.

Tomorrow, city councillors in the central, south and west area will consider the council officers' recomendation to refuse the application to build the four-storey development.

Mr Whately has now added weight to the campaign fronted by Philip Pullman, the author of His Dark Materials, and celebrated zoologist Desmond Morris.

In a letter to Jericho campaigner Adrian Arbib, Mr Whately said: "On Midsummer's day, 1986, John Thaw and I were beside the Jericho boatyard filming the opening scenes for the very first Inspector Morse adventure.

"It was a characterful and photogenic setting, and it remains so, which is why I was back there in November this year, filming the latest Lewis story.

"I know all things change eventually, but, tragically, the majority of redevelopments over the last 50 years have been bungled by greedy property developers.

"I hope the absolutely unique Jericho boatyard will not suffer the same fate."

Scenes from Mr Pullman's Northern Lights novel, which has been turned into the movie, The Golden Compass, are set in Jericho, and Mr Arbib warned that the council would be jeopardising millions of pounds of income from tourists.

Fellow resident Jenny Mann, from Victor Street, said residents' would urge councillors to add to the list of reasons for refusing the development.

At present, the main one is that only a third of the homes are affordable housing. On Saturday, residents met at the community centre in Jericho to view images of plans for the new development.

Mrs Mann added: "We want the councillors to say that the development is out of keeping with the area in terms of scale and design, and that access to public space is not good."

George Taylor, of Great Clarendon Street, added: "Jericho is mostly terraced housing, so the height of the new development will mean that lots of residents feel walled in."

The only point in Spring Residential's favour, Mr Taylor added, was that the developers had pushed forward a land deal to allow for the construction of a new community centre near St Barnabas Church.

A previous application for the site was rejected following a planning inquiry, and about 700 residents have now written to the council to complain.

Andy Wilkins, a spokesman for Spring Residential, was not available for comment.

Print article » Email to a friend »

Your Say YourOxford Mail

Bolton Smiley, Jericho says...
8:51am Mon 10 Dec 07

What's it got to do with these so called stars they are not actually born in Oxford are they?

Report this post »

adrian, jericho says...
9:31am Mon 10 Dec 07

it's got everything to do with what is of value in Oxford. Do you really want what they have planned ?
The build by Spring at Castle Mill can be seen at www.jerichocentre.or
g.uk

note that yet again Spring were unavailable for comment.

Report this post »

pat schlueter, Jericho, Oxford says...
9:59am Mon 10 Dec 07

Every one against this proposed monstrous build is welcome, particularly stars whose names get publicity. I am delighted Kevin Whately cares enough about the boatyard to comment publicly. I am grateful to him and others.

Report this post »

Bolton Smiley, Jericho says...
10:03am Mon 10 Dec 07

Whats wrong with it? Although I do think there should be more bars and restaurants in Jericho,they should make it like the waterfront in Bristol.I do think the housing should be more affordable for the local people who were born in Oxford not for outsiders with money!

Report this post »

Swift Nick, says...
10:06am Mon 10 Dec 07

Bolton Smiley wrote:
What's it got to do with these so called stars they are not actually born in Oxford are they?
Perhaps these stars care more about Oxford than you yourself do. You are part of the apathetic minority residing in Jericho. Most Jericho residents care passionately about their environmental surroundings and rich heritage.

Report this post »

adrian, jericho says...
11:45am Mon 10 Dec 07

I just wonder if Bolton Smiley works for PPS the PR group working for Spring.

The same PR company that were the subject of a channel four Dispatches program in which they were fingered for bugging council offices and forging letters of support for a controversial development.

If Bolton actually exists perhaps he or she would like to meet me in the 'Bookies' at 6pm today. I'll be at the bar with a copy of private eye.

Report this post »

Swift Nick, says...
11:54am Mon 10 Dec 07

Well done Adrian, it's good to see someone who is willing to get off their backside and do something. However, I doubt very much if Bolton Smiley will turn up.

Report this post »

Mr Ison, England says...
12:52pm Mon 10 Dec 07

Looks to me that you are experiencing the old Walmart manouvre.

Time will tell as the town planners wont.

Report this post »

Bolton Smiley, Jericho says...
1:04pm Mon 10 Dec 07

Off course I won't turn up and I don't know anything about dispatches!? I'm just Jericho and Oxford born and bred (unlike some of the protesters!) and would like to see more bars and restaurants in Jericho and think the place used to look untidy a bit like some of the hippies on the boats!

Report this post »

Chris, Oxford says...
1:54pm Mon 10 Dec 07

Surely there's plenty enough bars and restaurants in Jericho already? What's missing are enough proper pubs for the locals and other residents.

Since I've lived in Oxford (since 1994), half of the Jericho pubs seem to have closed down or changed to bars (Jericho Tavern, Carpenters Arms, The Globe), and now the Raddy is under threat!

Any interest from Kevin Whately etc. is most welcome to save Oxford's heritage sites (and pubs!) from (un)affordable housing!

Report this post »

Bolton Smiley, Jericho says...
2:11pm Mon 10 Dec 07

Your right about the pubs closing down,there used to be loads more but Preseel wanted a saturation policy in Jericho so no more could be built!

Report this post »

Charlie, Oxford says...
2:39pm Mon 10 Dec 07

Come off it, the Jericho Tavern isn't a bar - it's a decent free house which stands out from the Greene King cr@p that passes for a pub in most of the rest of Oxford and Oxfordshire!

Report this post »

Noam, Oxford says...
3:29pm Mon 10 Dec 07

Saw the Golden Compass on Sat. Disappointingly they have left out the chapters about the Gyptians on the canal. This would have been a great opportunity to raise awareness of the canal and the boatyard, and indirectly helped the campaign to bring the boatyard back.

Report this post »

Phil, Oxford says...
4:09pm Mon 10 Dec 07

Charlie wrote:
Come off it, the Jericho Tavern isn't a bar - it's a decent free house which stands out from the Greene King cr@p that passes for a pub in most of the rest of Oxford and Oxfordshire!
I thought it was the latest branding from the owners of the scream brand now that scream branded pubs are no longer fashionable.

It's very similar branding to the Cape of Good Hope, also a former scream pub.

Report this post »

Matthew Morton, Oxford says...
4:36pm Mon 10 Dec 07

Its all very well having a nice place to relax after work; be it pub or bar, independent or chained, but if there is nowhere local to work then there is noone to keep the locals local. Once upon a time people worked at the Lucy Iron works, at the Univerity Press Bookbinders/printers and at the Castlemill Boatyard. Whats now lacking in Jericho is light industry. Any build at Castlemill must include affordable workshops, which are very rare in Oxford. Any build at Castlemill must allow continued interface with the canal, a working warf with affordable repair facilities to maintain Jerichos' independant fleet of narrow boats. The need to keep Jericho local is a local one, but importantly it is a national one too, for the character of England depends on a tapestry of local communities bound by common interest and a warm hospitality to visiters and recent arrivals. Jericho's character is interwoven with the threads of the Boaters who for generations have coexisted, intermarried and partied together.

Report this post »

Emma, Scotland says...
5:11pm Mon 10 Dec 07

There are more ways to be part of a place than just being born there. Dunno where Philip Pullman was born, but I met enough Jericho people whose kids had been taught by him when he worked locally.

Report this post »

Mr Ison, England says...
10:07pm Mon 10 Dec 07

or some reaso i am reminded of Howards Way,what an awful boat themed farce that was.

Can anyone spot the ringers yet?

Report this post »

Bolton Smiley, Jericho says...
9:15am Tue 11 Dec 07

Trouble is hardly any real Oxford people live in Jericho anymore,it's all students now and people with money but pretend they haven't!

Report this post »

Alan, Headington says...
7:14pm Tue 11 Dec 07

And not any of you lot are moaning about the Lucy development up the road. That moved all the employment to Thame and Dubai. Is it because your all sat in Lucy Property houses. I'd rather see a decent waterfront development than the floating Pikey's and the great unwashed that was there before.

Report this post »

adrian, jericho says...
12:36pm Thu 13 Dec 07

Alan re: Lucy's we fought like crazy to save that as well. All sorts of shenanigans went on there. It's well over the height they (Berkeley homes) stated in a public meeting and there's nothing we can do. Sadly I didn't see councillors doing much until too late in the build.


I didn't see you getting involved.

What is needed is concerned residents getting involved in the planning process and more up to speed with the Local Plan.

Re your comment about Pikey's - well that's a matter of opinion but a lot of those people put time in to save that yard and,again i didn't see you there

Report this post »

Alan, says...
7:46pm Thu 13 Dec 07

What do you mean I didn't get involved. I worked there and fought bloody hard with the management. I realised a lost cause when Lucy's dangles "Social Housing" and the Council buckles in every time.Most of us are lucky and got decent jobs in the City still but a lot aint.
I also pay a lot of money to fish on the canal. That is something that great unwashed have never done!

Report this post »

Comments are closed on this article.

Kevin Whately, with co-star Laurence Fox during filming in Oxford Kevin Whately, with co-star Laurence Fox during filming in Oxford

In this section

Essential Links

Sponsored Links



UK Debt Help and Advice | IVA help and advice | The truth about IVAs | Stay with Prague Hotels | Visit Spain with Barcelona Hotels

Local Advertisers


Local Information

Enter your postcode, town or place name

House prices »   Schools »   Crime »   Hospitals »