THERE are over 800 people, under the age of 18, living on the Barton estate.

If Barton’s young people wish to celebrate the milestones of life like 18th birthdays, the Barton sports pavilion is the only public space that welcomes young people.

Sadly, Barton’s sports pavilion will close in May for 18 months, in order to provide access for construction traffic for the new estate. This will result in the youth of Barton not having any public space on Barton to ‘party’.

At the neighbourhood centre’s AGM (2015) I was informed that the last time a party booking had been accepted was two years ago; clearly, the neighbourhood centre does not encourage party bookings.

With the closure of the Royal British Legion and St Mary’s Church and Community Hall, some of this £4m bonanza, which the Oxford Mail (March 3) accurately reports me as supporting, ought to be spent providing much-needed community space on Barton.

St Mary’s Church and community hall was a well-used space and housed Barton’s dance troupe for many years. St Mary’s Church hall closed because the hall desperately requires modernisation.

Barton councillors: the neighbourhood centre does not require further expenditure. Some of this money should be used to modernise St Mary’s community hall as more community space is seriously needed on Barton now.

Barton’s residents should be concerned that there has been little or no consultation with the people of Barton seeking our priorities for our estate.

CHAKA ARTWELL
Barton
Oxford