Hundreds object to plans for 5,000 new homes in city (From Oxford Mail)

Hundreds object to plans for 5,000 new homes in city

9:00am Friday 14th October 2011 in News By Liam Sloan

SAVE our stadium, keep our car parks, and hands off our recreation grounds.

That is the public’s response to Oxford City Council’s plans to examine 100 city sites as part of its attempts to build 5,000 new homes by 2026 to ease the housing crisis.

The Oxford Mail can today reveal the public’s views on dozens of proposed redevelopments of patches of lands, car parks and under-used buildings across the city.

Consultation results show 95 per cent of people who responded calling for the council to abandon proposals to demolish Oxford Stadium, which was put forward by the Greyhound Racing Association as a possible site for future housing.

The consultation said 95 out of 101 people who commented on the proposal thought the stadium, below, should be kept, with most also backing the return of speedway.

Another 871 signed a petition against the changes.

Oxford Speedway Supporters Club chairman Gavin Beckley said: “The public has spoken, and I would hope the council takes that into account.”

He added: “We have got a very nice sporting facility which, if we were to lose it, we would not be able to replace it. It is an asset to the city and the county, and it would be a crying shame to lose it for the sake of 100 houses or so.”

Officers will examine the responses before a vote on the plans in December. A planning inspector could then rule on the strategy next year.

Council deputy leader Ed Turner, inset, said: “We take seriously what the public have said. There have been good points made about sites, but in some places the council does not have control of them.

“In the case of Oxford Stadium, what happens is first and foremost in the hands of the people who own it.”

He said while people had valid reasons to oppose individual developments, the council had to ensure new homes were built to tackle the housing crisis.

Yesterday housing charity Shelter revealed Oxford had the highest private rents outside London because of the homes shortage.

With South Oxfordshire District Council blocking Green Belt development south of Grenoble Road, the council had to find city sites “which would not be our first choice,” Mr Turner added.

Of 98 people who wrote in about Headington car park, 75 objected to plans to build homes or student flats on the site. Another 3,428 signed a petition against the plans.

Majorities also came out against allocating part of the St Clement’s and Union Street car parks for accommodation.

Seventeen out of 48 North Oxford residents expressed fears that building on Diamond Place car park would harm the area.

Business Headington chairman Neil Holdstock said: “It would kill Headington as a shopping centre to build on that car park. We would lose customers hand over fist.”

Nicholas Hardyman, who runs the summertown.info website, said: “Development of Diamond Place could have a very significant impact on Summertown traders unless the same number of spaces are available during and after the work.”

Mr Turner admitted allowing developers to build on council-owned sites would help Town Hall counter with budget cuts.

“If we can find some capital to meet our spending needs, that has go to be better than borrowing money and putting staff and services at risk to pay it back,” he said.

Meanwhile, 550 people signed a petition against turning Five Mile Drive Recreation Ground in North Oxford into an extension of Wolvercote cemetery.

Resident Richard Lawrence-Wilson said the fields, where Summertown Stars footballers play, were the only open spaces for children in the area.

And in smaller numbers, people opposed building houses on the Oxford University Press Sports Ground in Jordan Hill and the Lincoln College Sports Ground off Cowley Road, and for housing at Bartlemas Nursery and on part of the East Oxford Bowls Club site.

Residents backed plans for a mixed use development at Jericho boatyard and gave a mixed reaction to homes and shops around Kassam Stadium.