THREE years ago, it was an overgrown toxic wasteland, the haunt of antisocial youths.

Now it is a green oasis, attracting wildlife and people keen to get back to nature without leaving the city.

Barracks Lane Community Garden, in Cowley, Oxford, was transformed by the efforts of local people and has now received an award for its value to the community.

The garden, off Cumberland Avenue, has been given a Community Award from the Oxford Preservation Trust.

It recognises projects which have made a significant contribution to the built or natural environment of Oxford, or helped the community.

Local people clubbed together to transform the site into a community garden in 2007, after a four-year campaign.

Open every weekend from Easter to autumn, the garden hosts events, courses and children’s parties.

Run by about 50 volunteer Garden Guardians, it includes a meeting and workshop space in a nomad’s ‘yurt’ tent, a mud/clay ‘cob’ oven and a compost toilet.

Coordinator Julieanne Porter said: “This is our first major award.

“We are all really excited because it reflects all the hard work people have put in. I think we’ve won because it is a space that was really derelict. It was being used by drug dealers and prostitutes and was dangerous. But people decided they wanted a better space and somewhere everyone could use.”

Between November 2009 and October 2010, 3,500 people used the garden.

Ms Porter said the project had won cash from Oxfordshire County Council’s Aiming High scheme to demolish the yurt and build a new space with full disabled access.

She said: “The yurt is okay but it had limited access.

“The new building will be slightly bigger and hopefully it will mean it will be able to used at weekends and in the winter more.”

Garden trustee Annie Davy said: “We are thrilled to win the award.

“It recognises the hard work by volunteers to transform a derelict site into a garden that is both a beautiful and useful space.”

Oxford Preservation Trust director Debbie Dance said: “This is the first year we have done the awards programme and we were delighted that the community garden won.

“We hope to see lots more projects in the future years.”